The inauguration of the project was scheduled in May. It will now be held in September.
In the backdrop of the severe drought, the Maharashtra government has postponed the inauguration of the ambitious Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial in Arabian Sea, off the Mumbai coast. The inauguration of the project was scheduled in May. It will now be held in September.
"We took a conscious decision of postponing the inauguration. The state is reeling under drought and we do not want to send a negative message. We have decided to organise this function in a grand way. We had conveyed this to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and prime minister Narendra Modi as well," said MLC Vinayak Mete, president of the Chhatrapati Project Committee.
Mete further said they had chosen the month of May because of the low tide schedule. "We had even almost fixed the prime minister's appointment. But this function will now be organised in September-October. Monsoon starts receding at that time and most of the harvest work will also be done. This will be an appropriate time for the inauguration function," he added.
Meanwhile, the government has already opened the project office in Cuffe Parade. "This project office will also be used as a storeroom to keep medieval period antique pieces related to Shivaji Maharaj's life. We have started collecting such artifacts from various locations. Besides, we are also appealing to various organisations and firms to donate such artifacts," said Mete.
Recently, the Maharashtra government had finalised France-based EGIS India consultant Pvt Ltd engineering company as the project management consultant for the proposed memorial. A senior government official told dna that they were also talking with the shipping and port ministry to have five jetty services from various locations of Mumbai to the memorial site.
"We had identified Girgaum Chowpatty, Nariman Point, Versova, Navi Mumbai and Gateway of India. We want to make the memorial accessible from all prominent points of the city. If things work out as planned, we will be able to recover the cost of the project through tourism within the next 10 years. The estimated cost of the project is Rs2,000 crore," said a senior official.
He added that they had asked the EGIS to prepare a plan so that the memorial's life was at least 400 years. "We want to use the best technology and material for this memorial. Shivaji Maharaj has contributed so much to the state. It is the duty and responsibility of everyone to help create this memorial," added Mete.
Fishermen take out sea rally in protest
The Paramparik Machimar Seva Samiti (PMSS), a group representing fishermen, organised a "sea rally" involving over 100 boats on Wednesday, to protest against the plan of constructing Shivaji Maharaj's statue in the sea.
According to the fishermen, the zone chosen by the government to construct the statue falls directly in the fishing zone. "Almost 45% of the fish are found in this stretch, which is perfect for breeding. We would appreciate it if the fishermen's plight was considered," said Krishna Kumar Meher, vice-chairman of the Machimaar Sarvodaya Society Limited, Cuff Parade. PMSS leader Rohit Pande said, "The fishermen weren't consulted at all. More than 250 families will be affected in Badwar Park alone." Kiran Koli, Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti president, said, "We have been fishing in this area for decades. Why choose this spot?" Moreshwar Patil, secretary of the Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti, said, "Why cannot the government spend all this money in drought-afflicted?"
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "fisherman")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}