Indian Navy relaxed some fears on Thursday after the recent calamity that struck the ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’ statue in Malvan, Maharashtra. The Navy, which wielded the responsibility of the installation process said that it was undertaken in consultation with the state government, which also offered the funding.
The Indian Navy in a statement, said it is committed to restoring and reinstalling the statue at the earliest. In order to find the cause of the sinking, a Special Investigation Team is being constituted, which will comprise officers of the Indian Navy, the Government of Maharashtra, and some technical brains. This committee will also look at reasons as to why such a statue ended up on the floor.
The statue, which was installed on the 4th of December, 2023, during the Navy Day in Sindhudurg district, was aimed at commemorating King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his effort towards maritime security. To this effect, the project launched by the Indian Navy sought to establish a historical link between Shivaji Maharaj and the present Indian Navy. Nevertheless, the collapse of the statue has resulted in a rather big concern.
On Wednesday late evening, while briefing top officials in state as well as Indian Navy, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said this. Head local police Maharashtra Police and Indian navy have initiated the work on examining the occurrence.
Chetan Patil named in the FIR has refuted the charges saying that he constructed only the base on which the statue was installed. Joining Patil, contractor Jaydeep Apte been implicated in the investigation regarding the case.
PWD directorate pointed an accusing finger at the Navy for exerting pressure that led to the premature completion of the construction leading to its collapse. This has created a political furore whereby the opposition parties bitterly accuse the Mahayuti governing coalition of disrespecting Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. They have demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Shinde and this has further escalated the political atmosphere leading to assembly elections.
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