Unveiled 9 months ago, 35ft steel statue of Shivaji at Malvan fort collapses

MUMBAI: A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled around 9 months ago on December 4 last year by PM Modi on the occasion of Navy Day at Rajkot fort in Malvan in Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday, an official said. While CM Eknath Shinde described the incident as “unfortunate” and promised to reinstall it, saying that “due to strong winds of around 45 kmph,” the statue “erected by the Navy...fell and got damaged”, opposition parties slammed the state govt, alleging it had paid little attention to the quality of work.
The 35-foot steel statue collapsed at around 1 pm, the official said. Experts will ascertain the exact cause of collapse, but the district has witnessed heavy rain and gusty winds over the last two to three days, he said. Senior police and district administration officials reached the site to take stock of the situation and assess the damage, he said.
Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra 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.” Chavan said, “The steel used in making of the statue had started rusting. The PWD had already written to the Navy informing them of the statue catching rust and requested them to take appropriate steps.”The Navy also said it has deputed a team to repair and restore the statue at the earliest.
The opposition, though, blamed the govt. Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik said, “State govt may try to evade responsibility. People responsible for construction and erection of the statue must be probed thoroughly” .
Oppn blames govt, CM says Navy ‘built, designed statue’
Following the collapse of a Shivaji Maharaj statue in Malvan on Monday, CM Eknath Shinde said, “The incident that happened is unfortunate. Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the revered deity of Maharashtra. This statue was erected by the Navy. They had also designed it. But due to strong winds of around 45 km/h, it fell and got damaged. Tomorrow, officials from PWD and the Navy will visit the site and investigate the cause behind it. I sent PWD Ravindra Chavan to the site as soon as I heard about the incident. We will find out the reasons behind this incident and reinstall the statue... at the same place.”
BJP minister Chavan said, “The state paid Rs 2.36 crore to Navy for the statue’s installation. But the entire procedure of selection of artist, its design was done by Navy officials.” The state PWD had on Aug 20 written to the Area Coastal Security Officer about the precarious condition of the statue, pointing out that despite repairs carried out in June by the sculptor Jaydeep Aapte, the local gram panchayat and tourists had complained the statue looked shaky.
The Navy said in a statement that it “notes with deep concern the damage caused this morning to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj... Along with the state government and concerned specialists, the Navy has deputed a team to immediately investigate the cause of this unfortunate accident and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest.”
The opposition, though, blamed the govt. Chhatrapati Sambhajiraje of Kolhapur, the 13th direct descendant of Chhatrapati Shivaji, said, “The statue erected in haste to inaugurate by the Prime Minister collapsed! We had written a letter to the PM and demanded this statue, which was shapeless and not according to sculpture... be changed. In Maharashtra, there is no such unfortunate thing as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s memorial collapsing within a year. In such a situation, with what authority will we talk about Maharaj’s forts,” Sambhajiraje said in a post on X.

MIM’s Asaduddin Owaisi said in a post on X, “The 35-feet Shivaji Statue inaugurated by @narendramodi collapsed today. It’s a reflection of the poor quality of infrastructure built by Modi sarkar. Shivaji was a symbol of equality & secularism, his statue’s collapse is an example of @narendramodi’s lack of commitment to Shivaji’s vision.”
NCP (SP) state president and former minister Jayant Patil said, “The state govt is responsible for the collapse as it did not take proper care. The govt 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 govt only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly.”