'Would have never collapsed if...': Nitin Gadkari said on Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse

A 35-feet tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj which was installed in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra and was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023 fell down on August 26, and it raised many eyebrows and criticism and call for an inquiry. The occurrence has also raised issues to do with quality of infrastructure projects as well as corruption.

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said that had stainless steel been used, the collapse could have been avoided. It is to note that Gadkari has been a proponent of using stainless steel in construction projects along the coast to avoid rusting, and he said, “If stainless steel had been used for the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, it would have never collapsed. ”

The statue fell due to heavy rains and strong winds and now the structural consultant of the project Chetan Patil has been arrested. Patil said he was only involved in designing the platform on which the statue was to be placed and not the statue, which was built by a Thane based firm.

The sculptor behind the statue is Jaydeep Apte, a 24-year-old man from Kalyan, who remains absconded even after a lookout notice was issued against him by the local police. It has also elicited how Apte, who has no prior experience in putting up big statues, was awarded the tender. Some opposition parties criticized the selection, claiming that Apte has a close relationship with Shrikant Shinde, the son of the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

The opposition has jumped into the incident and has been accusing the state government and the central government of corruption and poor quality of infrastructure development. The Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar and the NCP leader Supriya Sule have urged for an investigation in the incident and the guilty should be punished.

Maharashtra government and the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has vowed to construct a new one that will be stronger. Nevertheless, the event has become a source of major concern to the state government and has elicited protests from different political factions.