Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in Sindhudurg district, Maharashtra, might have withstood adverse weather conditions if it had been made of stainless steel.
Gadkari commented at a New Delhi event, “If the Shivaji Maharaj statue at Rajkot Fort in Malvan in Sindhudurg had been built of stainless steel, it would not have collapsed.”
Gadkari pointed out the importance of choosing appropriate construction materials, noting that iron is prone to rust, particularly in coastal areas. “For the past three years I have been emphasising the use of stainless steel in the construction of roads and bridges close to sea,” he noted.
He further added: “We have the highest reverence for Shivaji Maharaj. He is our ‘aradhya devta’ (revered deity).”
The 35-foot-tall Shivaji statue, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023, collapsed on August 26.
At the Delhi event, Gadkari reflected on his tenure as Maharashtra’s Public Works Department minister from 1995 to 1999, during which he oversaw the construction of 55 bridges. He recounted an instance where, despite applying powder coating to iron rods to prevent rust, the coating proved ineffective, resulting in rust formation. Gadkari underscored his ongoing emphasis on using stainless steel for construction projects within 30 km of coastal areas to address rust issues.
The Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi has criticised the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government over the statue’s collapse. On Wednesday, Sanjay Raut, a leader of the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), questioned the handling of the statue’s budget, suggesting that while the allocated funds were utilised, the actual expenditure was minimal, implying possible misappropriation of funds.
