'Nuts and bolts were...': Why Chhatrapati Shivaji statue inaugurated by PM Modi in 2023 collapsd in Maharashtra

The statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra has come down just after eight months of its installation. This has brought lots of criticisms and raised important issues on the construction quality as well as supervision of the project.

Surveys have shown that the nuts and bolts that were used in the structure of the statue were rusty and this affected the stability of the statue. This has raised alarm and the contractor, Jaydeep Apte, and the structural consultant, Chetan Patil, have been reported to the police under FIR charges of negligence and fraud. The Public Works Department (PWD) has accused the construction firm of doing a shoddy job to the building and cited the rusting problem as the main cause of the collapse.

People living around the area and tourists had expressed their worries on the state of the statue. The PWD had given an alert on 20th August regarding the process of rusting of the steel parts. However, these early signals were ignored, and thus the organisation could not avoid the inevitable failure. This has received criticism from the public and the opposition parties, which are demanding that the negligence be answered to.

The construction of the statue was done by the Indian Navy, which is not an expert in construction of statues. This has led to many people to wonder why the Navy has been assigned with this unusual task that is believed to be best handled by other professionals. The involvement of the navy in the construction of the statue has further complicated the investigation, as the commission tries to find out whether this was a reason for the collapse of the statue.

The Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has blamed the collapse to strong winds, but this has not convinced the people. The Opposition has not been left behind in the criticism, they have been very vocal, and they are accusing the government of negligence and poor supervision. It has become a political issue that has attracted demands for investigation and legal action on culprits.

Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan has acknowledged the incident and emphasized that the PWD had informed Navy officials about the rusting issue. However, these warnings were ignored, leading to the tragic collapse. The public is demanding answers and seeking assurances that such incidents will not happen again in the future.