View: L-1, mediocrity, processes and poor skills behind Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday took the blame for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue collapse in Sindhudurg district on August 26 and asked for forgiveness from the Maratha people for the great Maratha king was his revered deity. “ For me, my colleagues and everyone, Chhatrapati Shivaji was not just a king. He is highly revered and worshipped by all. For us, he is our aaradhya dev (revered deity,” the PM said at the inauguration of the Vadhvan Port.

It is not that PM Modi either constructed the statue or installed it at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district. He simply inaugurated the statue on December 4, 2023, which is celebrated as the Navy Day. The construction and installation of the 35-foot-tall statue was awarded to the lowest bidder (L-1), certified by architects and planners, paid for by the Maharashtra Government and handed over to the state government by the Western Navy in April 2024.

While a joint probe headed by a Naval Commodore is now trying to ascertain the reasons for an accident for which the PM of India had to seek forgiveness, the collapse raises serious questions on Indian workmanship and the curse of awarding contracts to the lowest bidder to escape the auditor and allegations of corruption. The L-1 process has been the bane of India in many ways as quality and workmanship are often compromised ostensibly saving some money for the government.

Also read: Prime Minister Modi apologises for collapse of Shivaji Maharaj statue in Malvan

It is the same L-1 process that has often caused delays in construction and acquisition as the ‘Sarkari Babu’ has to justify the purchase and accord sanction on file so that his job is safe and not marred by armchair auditor objection. The poor workmanship, which is a hallmark of the Indian sub-continent as is evident from frequent road and bridge collapses, is also a direct outcome of a country that has come to terms with mediocrity in all spheres of life. The due diligence and the worker pride are simply missing at the beginning of the project and there is hardly any maintenance of the project once the inauguration is done, red carpets and air-conditioned tents are removed from the site. Cynical Indians will say that the PM apologized for the collapse keeping in mind the Maharashtra elections, which are around the corner, but it is quite evident that Narendra Modi is most upset as top PMO officials are making calls to both the Navy and the State government to hold the culprits accountable. PM Modi is upset as he inaugurated the statue of the tallest Maratha leader--whose life and times have been an aspiration for the three-time PM of India—and the statue fell in just nine months.

While the state government is on record stating that the 35 feet tall Shivaji statue collapsed due to high-velocity winds, the 600 feet tall statue of Sardar Patel proudly stands in Kewadiya, Gujarat due to specialized construction that allows howling winds from Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River to pass through without obstruction. It is all about project planning, workmanship and skills by the best in the business not L-1 contractors with mediocre skill sets. The collapse is a result of a mediocre bureaucracy (there is no difference between civilian and armed forces) which is more focused on processes rather than outcomes. And there is hardly any maintenance post-inauguration as is evident from the leaking taps and cracked porcelain pots seen routinely at public convenience places, roads, fly-overs, railway stations and airports. The public is equally responsible for the filth and dirt seen in these places.

While politicians of the country promote mediocrity over merit in the name of social empowerment and votes, there has to be a minimum skill qualification or course or license for those practicing tradecraft. The ‘Ustaad-Chela jugaad’ model does not work for a rising India. Unless we want to embarrass PM Modi further.