Maharashtra: New Shivaji statue to be built by Statue of Unity maker

Maharashtra's government has awarded a ₹20 crore contract for a new 60-foot Shivaji statue in Sindhudurg, after the previous one collapsed

Mumbai: The state government has awarded the contract for a new statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji to be built in Sindhudurg, in Maharashtra, to replace the one that collapsed on August 26. The contract has been awarded to Ram Sutar Art Creations, headed by Anil Ram Sutar, who also built the Statue of Unity in Gujarat. The latter is an ode to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the ‘Iron Man of India’.

A 35-foot statue of Shivaji Maharaj collapsed in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg (HT/Yogesh Naik)

The new statue of Shivaji will stand 60 feet tall, more than double the height of the one that collapsed, which was 33 feet tall. This time, the state government is taking no chances. The previous statue had given way less than nine months after it was built. According to the tender conditions, the company building the new statue will have to provide a guarantee that it will last for 100 years. The bidder would also be responsible for it maintenance for the first ten years.

Additional chief secretary, public works department (PWD), Manisha Mhaiskar, confirmed that the project had been awarded to Ram Sutar Art Creations. The PWD had published the tender in end-September and the state has sanctioned ₹20 crore for this project.

According to the terms and conditions of the tender, the statue will have to be ready in six months. State government officials said if it is built by February 19, it could be unveiled on the birth anniversary of Chhatrapati Shivaji.

The earlier statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, on the eve of Navy Day at Sindhudurg. Its collapse on August 26 had caused immense embarrassment to the state and central governments. An investigation ordered by the state revealed that corrosion, a weak frame and welding faults had led to the crash.

Soon after the mishap, the state set up two committees – one to investigate the cause of the collapse, and the second, led by Manisha Mhaiskar, to set up a new and grander statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji.