Shivaji Statue Collapse Case: Politics has started heating up over the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra recently. Prime Minister Modi, CM Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Ajit Pawar have apologized for this incident. Meanwhile, media reports have tried to find out who approved the material used to make the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and the height of the statue. Some reports say that initially permission was given for a 6 feet high statue, but later this statue was made 35 feet high. At the same time, some reports also say that the statue was to be made of clay, but later it was made of stainless steel and other materials.
There is such a rule for making idol
In this case, the opposition has alleged a big scam and has demanded the resignation of the Maharashtra government. According to media reports, it is revealed that whenever a statue of a famous and historical person has to be made, approval has to be taken from the Maharashtra Directorate of Art headed by Professor Rajiv Mishra. On the occasion of Indian Navy Day, the tender was given to artist Jaideep Apte by the Naval Dockyard. Now the accused sculptor Jaideep Apte made a clay statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and approached the Maharashtra Directorate of Art for approval. According to top sources in the department, the role of the department is only to approve facial expressions, physical proportions, artistic features and likeness. For example, the statue of Shivaji Maharaj should not be like Sambhaji Maharaj or others, it should only look like Shivaji. According to department sources, all the agencies that want to make a statue in Maharashtra have to apply to the Maharashtra Directorate of Art for approval. The department has a committee consisting of experts from various fields and mainly historians. The role of the committee is to look at the facial features, expressions, physical proportions and its resemblance to the person whose statue is to be made.
The statue was 6 feet tall
According to sources, Jaideep Apte had made a 6 feet tall clay statue and after the committee gave a green signal in the similarity test, Maharashtra Directorate of Art had also approved it. The department had given approval to the Indian Navy. Most importantly, the department has no authority to decide the height and the material used. There is no rule to inform the department (Maharashtra Directorate of Art) about the height and material used to make the statue.
The department cannot even supervise the work of the statue
The department cannot even supervise the work of the statue. It is the job of an agency which is given the contract and in this case it was the Indian Navy. The Navy can make a statue of any height using any material with the approval of a structural consultant who gives a stability certificate. Chetan Patil, the arrested accused in this case, was to give the stability certificate for the statue through his company.
The Navy declined to answer.
It is worth noting that the base of any statue is very important and permission has to be taken from the PWD for this. According to sources, in this case, structure consultant Chetan Patil had taken permission for the base from the PWD. The construction and construction work was to be monitored by the Indian Navy. The Navy refused to answer any questions. He said that investigation is going on in the matter and the facts will come out after the investigation is completed. The order for the construction of the statue was given by the Navy. Naval Dockyard, Mumbai gave the work order to Jaideep Apte on the occasion of Indian Navy Day. Chetan Patil was appointed as the structure consultant for the statue and base. The construction was to be monitored by the Indian Navy. However, the Indian Navy said that it was the responsibility of the state government agencies to take care of repairs and maintenance after the inauguration.
