Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse: Supriya Sule, others demand contractor be blacklisted

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj`s statue installed at Rajkot Fort in Malvan/ CMO

Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader Supriya Sule raised concerns over the quality of work undertaken by the contractor following the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse on Monday. She questioned the Mahayuti government over their connection with the contractor after it was discovered that they were based in the Thane district.

Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue, erected at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, collapsed on Monday afternoon. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Navy Day celebrations.

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After the Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse, the opposition trained its guns at the Mahayuti government over the poor quality of the work.

Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse: Supriya Sule questions govt over connection with contractor

Sule, in her social media post, wrote, "The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj erected at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurga collapsed today, the task of erecting the statue was entrusted to the contractor of Thane district. It is now clear how he must have done his job. We demand that this person and his organisation should be blacklisted from all accounts."

Her colleague, Jayant Patil meanwhile said, "The government is responsible for the collapse as it did not take proper care of the statue. The government 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 government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also criticised the Shinde-led government. He alleged, "The Shivaji Maharaj memorial on Rajkot Fort was completed in haste with one eye on the Lok Sabha elections. The responsibility for this incident lies solely with the Shinde government, which prioritises contractors over actual work. More dangerous is the BJP's mindset of getting away with any blunders. The same arrogance was behind completing the Shivaji Maharaj statue in haste. They only wanted to reap political benefits."

Thackeray's colleague Vaibhav Naik, who hails from Sindhudurg district, alleged poor quality of work in the construction of the structure. "The state government may try to evade responsibility, but people responsible for the construction and installation of the statue must be probed thoroughly," he demanded.

Naik, according to a PTI report, allegedly vandalised the local PWD office.

Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse: GovtSpeak

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde condemned the tragedy as "very unfortunate," and stated that the Navy-designed and built statue will be rebuilt with higher strength. Shinde said that Sindhudurg's guardian minister, Ravindra Chavan, had already gone on-site to inspect the situation and that Navy personnel will assist with the rebuilding work. The Public Works Department (PWD) will return to the site on Tuesday to undertake further evaluations.

Sindhudurg guardian minister and PWD portfolio bearer Ravindra Chavan indicated that legal action had been taken against Jaydeep Apte, the owner of M/s Artistry, and structural consultant Chetan Patil, who were both engaged in the statue's creation. Chavan stated that the Maharashtra government paid ₹2.36 crores to the Navy for the statue's installation. While the Navy handled the artist selection and design, the PWD previously warned of rusted steel in the statue and demanded corrective steps.

Cabinet Minister Deepak Kesarkar, who is from the Konkan region, reiterated the government's commitment to reconstructing the statue at the same spot. He highlighted that the statue, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year, honours Shivaji Maharaj's visionary efforts in constructing a sea fort and promised that the issue will be resolved quickly and efficiently.

Meanwhile, former Rajya Sabha MP Sambhajiraje Chhatrapati released an old letter he wrote to the Prime Minister's Office on December 12, criticising the statue for lacking artistic merit.