Safety, strength should be basic in construction

The 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that collapsed in August. Pic/X

In the wake of the collapse of the Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, the state government has issued a tender for the construction of a 60-foot-tall statue there, nearly twice the size of the previous one, according to a recent announcement.

The statue will be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore and the government has set a six-month timeframe for the completion of the work it was said. A 35-foot-tall statue of the 17th century Maratha empire founder, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg district on December 4 (Navy Day) last year, collapsed on August 26 amid strong winds.

The fact that a statue was built and being rebuilt itself has been subject to debate, with many believing that money spent on statues can and should be used for upping amenities.

While that is one aspect, now that it has been decided to rebuild this statue, careful attention must be paid so that a repeat is avoided. In fact, enough time and attention must be given to unearth what went wrong the last. Simply talking about strong winds is not enough. The statue, in fact, any installation has to be made in such a way that it can withstand strong winds. Blaming the weather for such collapses, which can also cause fatalities, which fortunately did not happen in this case, is not on.

A thorough understanding of the root cause and then, eliminating that in the next design is vital. It is also important that while adherence to timelines shows discipline, installation cannot be done in a hurry through shortcuts.

The work has to be strong, steadfast and thorough. Accent has to be on quality rather than trying to finish work in a hurry. The priority must be regular checks and maintenance too. Let us learn from the mistakes and shortcomings of the past, it would be inane and criminal not to do so.