A statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra's coastal Sindhudurg district just eight months ago, collapsed on Monday, an official said, with the chief minister blaming "strong winds" for the cave in.
As the incident caused an embarrassment to the state government and invited scathing criticism from the opposition, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde vowed to rebuild the structure, which he said, was designed and constructed by the Indian Navy.
Asked about the collapse, Shinde told PTI, "The wind was blowing at a speed of 45km per hour, which caused the statue to fall. It is very unfortunate the statue has fallen as it was designed and built by the Navy. However, our guardian minister (Ravindra Chavan) has arrived at the spot to assess the situation, and we will rebuild this statue even stronger. Navy officials will also take part in the rebuilding efforts.".
Public works department personnel will visit the site on Tuesday, the CM said.
Sindhudurg guardian minister Chavan, who holds the PWD portfolio, said, “A case has been filed against the proprietor of the firm M/s Artistry, Jaydeep Apte, and structural consultant Chetan Patil (both involved in statue work) in Sindhudurg.”
The Bharatiya Janata Party minister said, "The Maharashtra government paid Rs 2.36 crore to the Navy for the statue's installation. However, the entire procedure of selection of artist, its design was done by Navy officials.”
The work order was given on September 8, 2023, he informed.
Chavan said, “The steel used in making of the statue had started rusting. The PWD had already written to Navy officials informing them about the statue catching rust and requested them to take appropriate steps.”
The 35-foot statue of Shivaji Maharaj collapsed at around 1 pm at Rajkot Fort under Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg district in the Konkan region, around 480km from Mumbai, the official said.
Experts will ascertain the exact cause of the collapse, but the coastal district has witnessed heavy rains and gusty winds in the last two to three days, he pointed out.
Senior officials of the police and district administration have reached the site to take stock of the situation, and the damage was being examined, he said.
PM Modi had unveiled the 17th century warrior king's statue on Navy Day (December 4) last year, and participated in celebrations at the fort.
The opposition Nationalist Congress Party-Sharad Pawar lashed out at the Mahayuti government over the incident.
NCP -SP state president and former minister Jayant Patil said, "The government is responsible for the collapse as it did not take proper care of the statue. The government paid little attention to the quality of work. It only focused on conducting an event where PM Modi was invited to unveil the statue. This Maharashtra government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly."
His party colleague and Lok Sabha MP Supriya Sule sought a probe into the entire episode.
In a post on X, she said, "The statue's collapse within a year reflects poorly on the quality of the work and calls for a thorough investigation into the substandard construction. The statue construction work was given to a Thane-based contractor. It is now clear how he must have done his job. We demand the contractor and his firms be blacklisted."
Shiv Sena-Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray leader and former cabinet minister Aaditya Thackeray was also unsparing in his criticism of the Shinde-led government.
"The Shivaji Maharaj memorial on Rajkot Fort was completed in a haste with one eye on the Lok Sabha elections. The responsibility for this incident lies solely with the Shinde government, which prioritises contractors over actual work. More dangerous is the BJP's mindset of getting away with any blunders."
"The same arrogance was behind completing the Shivaji Maharaj statue in a haste. They only wanted to reap political benefits," he alleged.
Shiv Sena-UBT MLA Vaibhav Naik, who hails from Sindhudurg district, alleged poor quality of work in the construction of the structure.
"The state government may try to evade responsibility, but people responsible for the construction and installation of the statue must be probed thoroughly," he demanded.
Naik, along with his supporters, allegedly vandalised the local PWD office in Malvan town to protest against the collapse of the statue of the revered warrior king.
He entered the office armed with an iron rod and damaged some property, said a police official from Malvan.
The police are currently in the process of filing a case regarding the damage caused to the government property, he said.
Police security has been stepped at Rajkot Fort.
Cabinet minister Deepak Kesarkar, who hails from the Konkan region, reiterated the government's commitment to rebuild the structure.
"I do not have all the details about the incident. However, it's important to note that PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan, also the guardian minister of Sindhudurg district, has said a thorough investigation will be conducted into the matter," said Kesarkar.
"We are committed to erecting a new statue at the same location. The statue unveiled by PM Modi last year pays tribute to Shivaji Maharaj's visionary efforts in building a sea fort. We will take all necessary steps to address this matter promptly and effectively," asserted the Shiv Sena minister.
Meanwhile, former Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati posted his old letter written to the PMO on December 12 in which he had said the "statue does not look like a good art work."
