Eight months after it was dedicated, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra, collapsed on Monday. The contractor has been charged with a felony. On December 4, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the statue.
Under a number of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections, a FIR was filed against structural consultant Chetan Patil and contractor Jaydeep Apte. Fraud, collaboration, and risking public safety are among the charges. The Public Works Department (PWD) filed a complaint that led to the filing of the FIR. The PWD stated that the statue’s construction was subpar and that rusty nuts and bolts were discovered throughout the structure.
The declining state of the statue had already drawn the attention of both locals and visitors. No preventive action was done in spite of these warnings, which included an alert from the assistant engineer of the PWD’s Malvan division on August 20. The PWD warned that the statue’s stability was at risk due to rusty nuts and bolts, but the concerns went unheeded.
“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,” said Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan said.
The Indian Navy, which lacks experience building statues, was given the duty of erecting the statue and its pedestal, and work on the project started on September 8. Prime Minister Modi presided over the unveiling of the statue at Rajkot Fort on December 4, Navy Day.
The tragedy was acknowledged by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who blamed the collapse on strong winds that were blowing at 45 km/h at the time. However, the Opposition has criticised the government, accusing it of negligence.
