New statue of Chhatrapti Shivaji Maharaj ready at Malvan, could be unveiled on May 1

Mumbai: Nearly eight months after a 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in the coastal town of Malvan collapsed, causing huge embarrassment to the Mahayuti government, a new and taller statue of the Maratha warrior king has been installed at the spot and is likely to be inaugurated on May 1, which is Maharashtra Day.

The local public works department and the contractor, renowned sculptor Ram Sutar’s firm, are giving the finishing touches to the 83-foot bronze statue, which cost the state government ₹21.9 crore to make. The new statue, whose frame is made from duplex stainless steel, will stand on a three-metre-high concrete pedestal.

“We have started removing the scaffolding and were told that the government will unveil the statue on May 1,” said Sutar’s son, Anil Sutar. “The pedestal of the new statue is 10 feet tall; and the statue, along with the sword, is 83 feet tall. The work of making the statue began in October-November last year. We brought the statue in pieces of 10 feet from our Noida factory and started assembling it on March 3.”

The collapse of the old statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in August last year, barely eight months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it. Modi publicly apologised for it after the matter snowballed into a major political storm ahead of the state assembly elections.

According to a state government-ordered inquiry report, the old statue fell due to internal corrosion, rusting and the weak structure of its iron frame, in addition to welding faults. Its sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, and structural consultant, Chetan Patil, were arrested and charged with negligence, fraud, and endangering public safety.

Mahendra Kini, executive engineer of the Sawantwadi PWD, said a team from the Indian Institute of Technology has examined the new statue’s structure for stability. “We have taken a guarantee that the statue will last 100 years,” he added.