The plan to erect a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea is gathering dust in the state government office from the last two years.
The plan to erect a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea is gathering dust in the state government office from the last two years. The Congress-NCP combine had made an announcement more than ten years ago about installing the statue of 17th century Maratha warrior. However, project has been delayed due to several reasons. Vinayak Mete, NCP leader said the government is moving at a snail’s space. “They are still not mentally prepared to install the statue. I have written to the chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar to take this project seriously, as it is close to the people’s hearts. We had a couple of meetings with the administrative officials. We hope the project will be brought again on track,” he said
Sources said that after selecting the Team One architect’s designing for the Rs300 crore memorial to honour Chhatrapati Shivaji, the government did not do anything. “The state administration had prepared the agreement almost two years ago. But after that they did not show any interest in signing and passing the file for various approvals. The agreement has been gathering dust in the state government’s office from the last two years. The memorial has become a political plank for all parties. Whenever, the election is around the corner, politicians start making fuss over it to capatalise on the voters’ sentiments. People are very sensitive and emotional about great king and its related issues. Once, the election is over, they forget the project systematically”, source added.
Nandkumar Jantre, principal secretary of the state public administration said the agreement is in last stage of finalising. “There were few issues which we have sorted. I have received the final draft of the agreement, which will be shortly signed by us. The chief minister has also written to the environment minister Jairam Ramesh to get his ministry’s approval. Now, the proposal will move fast,” he added.
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