35-foot Shivaji statue in Maharashtra collapses

A statue of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last December at Rajkot Fort in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday.

According to reports, the 35-foot statue, which was revealed with much fanfare on December 4 last year during Navy Day celebrations, crumbled around 1 pm today amid heavy rains and gusty winds in the region over the past few days.

Senior officials from the police and district administration have visited the site to assess the damage. Experts are currently looking into the exact cause of the collapse. However, the recent spell of bad weather in the district may have played a role, according to the official from the site.



Meanwhile, Opposition parties have blamed the state government, accusing it of negligence and poor construction quality.

NCP (SP) state president and former minister Jayant Patil said, "The state government is responsible for the collapse, as it did not take proper care. The government paid little attention to the quality of work. It only focused on conducting an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to unveil the statue. This Maharashtra government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly."

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik also criticising the govt saying, "The state government may try to evade responsibility. People responsible for the construction and erection of the statue must be probed thoroughly."

Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar acknowledged the incident but noted that more details were still forthcoming. "I don't 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 in the matter," he said.

Kesarkar assured that a new statue would be erected in place of the collapsed one. He reiterated the importance of the tribute to Shivaji Maharaj's maritime accomplishments.

"We are committed to erecting a new statue at the same location. This statue, unveiled by PM Modi, 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," he said.