A major controversy has arisen after the 35-feet tall statue of 17th century Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra suddenly fell on August 26. The statue was unveiled on December 4 last year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the occasion of Navy Day, raising questions about its responsibility and maintenance.
Aaj Tak did an in-depth investigation into the incident and found that there is a blame game going on between the agencies responsible for the issue. A panel is investigating the incident, and the Indian Navy and the Public Works Department (PWD) are blaming each other.
PWD Assistant Engineer Ajit Patil lodged a complaint regarding the incident at the Malvan police station, on the basis of which a case has been registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (BNS).
There was a ruckus over the fall of the statue
The Maharashtra government and the Indian Navy are blaming each other for the fall of this statue. After knowing about the condition of the statue, no one took immediate action and no concrete steps were taken for its maintenance.
After the statue was unveiled, Rajkot Fort received over five lakh tourists, but there was ambiguity over the responsibility of maintenance after the unveiling. According to the FIR, the PWD regularly inspects the premises of the Rajkot Fort. During an inspection on August 20, the PWD found the nuts and bolts on the statue rusted.
The PWD wrote a letter to the Navy on August 22, but it was ignored, after which the statue fell four days later. If timely action had been taken, this incident could have been averted.
A few days later, the Indian Navy was informed about the condition of the statue by the PWD, but no one was held responsible for the repair and maintenance work after the unveiling.
Indian Navy sources say that the statue was designed by experts and its construction and installation was monitored by the Indian Navy. On August 20, the state government had issued a letter about the problems related to the statue, which was to be looked into by the state government agencies. The Navy said that after the unveiling, the responsibility of maintaining the statue was of the local administration.
What is in the FIR?
According to the FIR, Jaideep Apte had carried out repair work on the statue in June, but it is not clear whether the Indian Navy or the PWD had authorised him to carry out the repairs. Interestingly, there was no official order on who would take care of the statue after it was unveiled.
The statue was held together by nuts and bolts, which had rusted due to rain and sea salt. This rust not only weakened the structural strength of the statue but also distorted its shape. The FIR stressed the gravity of the situation and underlined the need for immediate repairs and permanent solutions to prevent further deterioration.
Opposition attacks the government
On this issue, the opposition accused the state government of nepotism and said that Jaideep Apte, who is absconding, has links with Mahayuti allies (BJP, Shiv Sena – Eknath Shinde faction and NCP – Ajit Pawar faction).
The incident of the statue falling has come just before the assembly elections and the opposition is planning to corner the Mahayuti alliance on this issue. According to some Mahayuti leaders, this incident is the result of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s curse and it may affect the Mahayuti alliance in the elections. Now all eyes are on the panel which is investigating the matter and trying to find out the reasons for the statue falling. The big question is: who is the real culprit?
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)