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Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial foundation stone-laying ceremony on February 19

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An artist’s impression of the memorial that will come up in Arabian Sea
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The foundation stone-laying ceremony for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial in the Arabian Sea — 1.5km from Raj Bhavan — will be held on Shiv Jayanti on February 19, said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday.

He added that in principle all permissions for the memorial are in place. "We will complete the project very soon, everyone will be proud of it," said the chief minister.

Sources in BJP said the state government has decided to invite prime minister Narendra Modi and president Pranab Mukherjee for the ceremony. "It will be a great tribute, and what better occasion than Shiv Jayanti to lay the foundation stone at the hands of the prime minister!" said a senior BJP leader.

The leader added, "We seriously want to complete the memorial, that will help us snatch the issue from Shiv Sena and NCP and our party will then be the real follower of Shivaji's thoughts. After all, Sena and NCP have only engaged in politics in Shivaji's name."

Shiv Sangram president Vinayak Mete welcomed the state's decision. "It's good that the government has finally taken a step in the right direction in this issue after repeated delays," he said.

The mid-sea memorial has been delayed for the past several years. The Congress-NCP government had promised in its manifesto 15 years ago to build the memorial, but it could not move beyond an architectural plan. Also, the UPA government did not issue the required permission to state, delaying the over Rs2,000-crore project further.

Fadnavis said the previous government had done a good job by finalising the design for the memorial. "I really appreciate the design, but the Congress-NCP government did not make any concrete progress in spite of enjoying power for years in the state as well as at the Centre. We are committed to making this a reality," he added.

The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority had asked the ministry of environment and forest to consider a special dispensation under the Coastal Regulation Zone Notification-2011 for the memorial.

The state public works department had submitted its project proposal that includes a 190-feet statue. It will be developed on 15.96 hectares of artificial island where all sort of facilities will be provided. There will be museums, art galleries and recreation centres giving information about Shivaji's life. People can reach the memorial via jetties from Gateway of India or Nariman Point.

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