The charges include collusion, fraud, and endangering public safety.
Mumbai:
An FIR has been registered against the contractor of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg which collapsed on Monday just eight months since it was inaugurated. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4 in 2023.
The FIR was filed against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The charges include collusion, fraud, and endangering public safety. The FIR follows a complaint by the Public Works Department (PWD), which claims the statue’s construction was of poor quality, and the nuts and bolts used in the structure were found to be rusted.
Local citizens and tourists had previously expressed their concerns about the statue’s deteriorating condition. Despite these warnings, including an alert from the assistant engineer of the Malvan division of the PWD on August 20, no preventive action was taken. The PWD stated that the rusting nuts and bolts posed a risk to the statue’s stability, yet the warnings were ignored.
“The steel used in making of the statue had started rusting. The PWD had already written to Navy officials informing them about the statue catching rust and requested them to take appropriate steps,” said Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan said.
The work on the statue began on September 8, with the Indian Navy, which has no expertise in statue construction, being tasked with erecting the statue and its pedestal. The statue was unveiled on Navy Day on December 4, at Rajkot Fort, with Prime Minister Modi presiding over the event.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde acknowledged the incident and attributed the collapse to strong winds, claiming they were blowing at a speed of 45 km per hour at the time. However, the Opposition has criticised the government, accusing it of negligence.
