Terming the incident as unfortunate, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said: "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the revered deity of Maharashtra. This statue was erected by the Navy. They had also designed it. But due to strong winds of around 45 km/h, it fell and got damaged."
New Delhi: The Indian Navy has constituted a team to investigate the cause of the crashing down of the statue of Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on Monday.
Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said that "the Indian Navy notes with deep concern the damage caused this morning (Monday) to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj that was unveiled on Navy Day on 04 December 2023 as a dedication to the citizens of Sindhudurg." The statue was unveiled by the Prime Minister, Narendra Modi.
All across the nation, including Bangalore
Shivaji Maharaj Statue, inaugurated by PM
unveiled 9 months ago was a casualty
At Rajkot fort in Malvan pic.twitter.com/hof4qCElWn
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A 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by PM Modi at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, Maharashtra, collapsed on Monday around 1 PM. pic.twitter.com/1ma2zornlg
A statue of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, collapsed on Monday (August 26, 2024). The 35-foot statue fell around 1 p.m. at Rajkot Fort in Malvan. pic.twitter.com/dD4donrqIR
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He also said that along with the State Government and concerned specialists, the Navy has deputed a team to immediately investigate the cause of this unfortunate accident and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest.
The 35-foot-long statue was installed at the Rajkot Fort in Malvan and was being managed by the state government.
Following the crashing of the statue, the opposition parties in the state lambasted the Eknath Shinde government, alleging "it had paid little attention to the quality of work."
As per the reports, the statue crashed due to heavy rains and gusty winds over the past two days in the city.
Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi threw a series of questions to the government on the incident. "The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj erected at Sindhudurg collapsed today. Modiji had inaugurated the structure in December last year - who was the contractor? - is it correct that the work was given to a Thane based contractor? - what action will be taken against the contractor? - how much 'khoke' did the contractor pass on to the 'khoke Sarkar'?"
Terming the incident as unfortunate, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde said: "Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is the revered deity of Maharashtra. This statue was erected by the Navy. They had also designed it. But due to strong winds of around 45 km/h, it fell and got damaged."
"Tomorrow (Tuesday), officials from PWD and the Navy will visit the site and investigate the cause behind it."