Installation of the new statue in coastal region is on Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ review agenda
CM Devendra Fadnavis pays a floral tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Pune. Pic/PTI
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is personally monitoring progress of the installation of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan, in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district. According to a senior Mantralaya official, the installation of the statue in the coastal Konkan region is on Fadnavis’s review agenda for the next 100-day plan for the transformation programme for Maharashtra.
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Nitesh Rane, minister for fisheries and ports said, “Chief minister is personally monitoring every development when it comes to the installation of the legendary Maratha warrior statue at Rajkot fort.” On August 26, 2024, the 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot fort collapsed. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, during the Navy Day celebration.
But, within seven months, the statue collapsed. The incident not only sparked blame games between agencies involved in the installation of the statue but even allowed opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders to slam the ruling (then Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde-led Mahayuti) government. An FIR was filed against 24-year-old Jaydeep Apte who had sculpted the statue and structural consultant Chetan Patil, in connection with the collapse.
Apte, the owner of an art company based out of Kalyan, allegedly had no prior experience of constructing large statues. Immediately after the mishap, the state government appointed a committee under the additional chief secretary (ACS), Public Works Department (PWD), Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar to suggest ways to get a new statue installed.
Accordingly, a month after the collapse, the PWD floated a tender to build a new statue. “Sutar—a renowned sculptor—has been assigned the task. The chief minister and Manisha Patankar Mhaiskar ma’am along with other senior officials of the PWD department are taking every update of the project,” the Mantralaya official added. The officials believed the installation process is likely to be ready in the next couple of months.
Sculptors Ram Sutar and Anil Sutar’s firm Ram Sutar Art Creations Pvt Ltd that built the ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat, has been assigned the task for installation of the new statue. On Wednesday, a foundation ceremony for the installation of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot fort was held at the hands of Nitesh Rane—guardian minister for Sindhudurg district.
State will promote films about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj: CM
On Wednesday, during one of the events to celebrate the founder of the Maratha Empire, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's birth anniversary, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that the Maharashtra government will do whatever it can for the promotion of the movie— ‘Chhaava’. “The state government will do what best can be done for the promotion of the film that is based on the life of a legendary warrior Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj,” Fadnavis was replying to a query on whether the Mahayuti government will take cognisance of growing demand from the people to make this film tax-free. The CM speaking to the media further clarified that the state government removed the entertainment tax in 2017. “I am yet to watch the movie. Those who have seen it are giving a good review,” Fadnavis said.
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