Malvan jinx? Ground near Shivaji statue pedestal sinks
Navi Mumbai: Just over a month after the new statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji was inaugurated by CM Devendra Fadnavis at the Rajkot fort in Malvan, Sindhudurg, a portion of the ground around the pedestal was found to have subsided on Saturday, reports Umesh K Parida.
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The new 60ft statue was built after the earlier statue collapsed in Aug last year, so this is the second time there has been a problem at the site.
As Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal claimed the pedestal had developed a big hole and Shiv Sena (UBT) alleged corruption, Sindhudurg collector Anil Patil was quoted as saying by PTI the ground around the pedestal had sunk due to rain but the issue had been rectified.
PWD has already carried out repairs.
After reports of the ground near the pedestal of the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue at Rajkot fort in Malvan having subsided, the public works department's Sawantwadi division started repair work. Konkan divisional chief engineer Sharad Rajbhoj, who inspected the site on Monday, said the issue was not serious and the statue was intact.
The pedestal area had earlier been reclaimed through filling to facilitate work on the new statue after an earlier one collapsed in 2024.
Dumping of earth there was followed by concretization work, claimed locals. PWD experts attributed the sinking to the natural phenomenon of soil settlement caused after the first rain.
As workers of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Congress lodged a protest during the visit of the Konkan divisional chief engineer and demanded an inquiry, he said a committee will inquire into the matter and if required, action will be taken against the contractor.
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The identity of the contractor is not known.
The 60 ft tall (83 ft including the pedestal) statue was designed and installed by veteran sculptor Ram Sutar. The PWD has said that the contracting firm, whose identity is not known, will carry out maintenance of the statue for ten years.
The statue, installed at an administrative cost of Rs 31.7 crore, can withstand wind speed of around 200 km per hour. Two IIT-Bombay professors of the structural engineering and metallurgy departments had overseen the structural framework and stability aspects.
Windtech, a company based in Sydney, has given the wind tunnel clearance.
The previously-installed 28 ft tall statue inaugurated by PM Modi in Dec 2023 collapsed on Aug 26, 2024 due to gusty winds, sparking a political controversy. CM Fadnavis inaugurated the new statue on May 11 this year after performing a puja.
State Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal alleged on Monday, "It is a sign of poor construction if the pedestal has developed a big hole in one month. The statue inaugurated by PM Narendra Modi fell in just eight months due to huge corruption in carrying out the work."
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