Following the collapse of a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort, the Malvan Police has filed a First Information Report (FIR), naming the owner of the firm responsible for the upkeep, Jaideep Apte, and the structural consultant, Chetan Patil. The men are expected to be arrested soon.
The FIR has been filed based on a complaint lodged by the Assistant Engineer of the Public Works Sub-Division in Malvan, under several sections of the Indian Penal Code, 2023, including sections 109, 110, 125, 318, and 3 (5) of the Public Property Damage Prevention Act, 1984.
According to the state government, the maintenance and upkeep of the statue were the responsibility of the Navy. The Navy had contracted Apte’s Messrs Artistry, while Patil served as the structural consultant.
COLLAPSE WITHIN 8 MONTHS OF INAUGURATION
The statue, a 35-foot installation, was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, during the Navy Day celebrations. However, the collapse within eight months has raised concerns about the quality of the construction.
Reports indicate that the statue had begun to rust just days before it collapsed. On noticing this, the Public Works Department (PWD) promptly informed the Navy in writing. However, despite the warning, adequate measures were not taken.
The incident has sparked widespread outrage and debate over accountability and the quality of public projects.
UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
Some questions still remain unanswered:
- What role did the Navy have in the construction, supervision or contractor selection?
- Who was responsible for vetting and selecting the contractor?
- What criteria were used in this selection process, especially considering reports of the contractor’s limited experience with large-scale monuments?
- How was a project of this magnitude completed in just six months, when industry standards suggest a much longer timeframe?
- Were proper quality control measures implemented, and if so, by whom?
- Were all required regulatory steps followed during the construction process?
POLL TOLL?
The issue may pose trouble to the Mahayuti government, which is facing a hard time tackling the Maratha reservation and has already seen its impact during the recently held Lok Sabha elections.
The collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue, ahead of the Assembly elections, has not gone down well within the people of Maharashtra and especially the Maratha community.
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