Sindhudurg: After a 35-foot-high Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue collapsed in Sindhudurg on Monday, Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar said it was sad but a 100-foot-high statue should be constructed in its place.

He also said that he would speak to the Prime Minister and his deputy and have all estimates ready.

Kesarkar said, “I have not been there yet. But I must say that this statue was constructed there by the Navy. They said that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was the first Navy king and they constructed the statue in his honour. It is sad but now good things will happen. There was a demand from the people that a 100-foot statue should be constructed here. I will also speak to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister and we have the estimates ready for the construction.”

“If this statue is now broken, then a 30-meter-high statue should be erected in its place. That is my opinion,” he added.

The collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has drawn sharp criticism, with UBT Sena MP Aditya Thackeray blaming the arrogance of the BJP.

“We will never tolerate insult to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, who is our and entire Maharashtra’s idol. Chhatrapati Shivaji’s memorial in Malvan, which was constructed in a hurry keeping the elections in view and was inaugurated by Modi ji, has collapsed today in just 8 months. The reason is the government’s contractor regime but more dangerous is the mentality of the BJP. They have the arrogance that we will do anything and get away with it. Due to this arrogance, Maharaj’s memorial was constructed in a hurry without considering the seriousness of the matter. The intention was to use only the Maharaja’s image, hence the quality of the memorial was not considered. I did not even hear what the locals were saying,” Thackeray said in a post on X. Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Vijay Wadettiwar demanded a detailed probe into the incident. “This is the condition of the Chhatrapati statue in eight months. This incident needs to be investigated. At least Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj should have remained in your share. It is proved that this government is not based on Chhatrapati’s values. Today, people of Maharashtra can see why we say that Mahayuti government in the state is a government of great destruction. A statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj should be installed again at this place in Dimakha but the contractor who has mentioned Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj should be blacklisted. We demand immediate stoppage of all ongoing work of the contractor concerned. Those who have insulted Maharaj must be punished,” Wadettiwar said.

Earlier, local police had filed an FIR against contractor Jaydeep Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil following the collapse of the 35-foot-high Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg.

The FIR, registered under sections 109, 110, 125, 318 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), was confirmed by the Sindhudurg police.

The incident sparked criticism from opposition parties, who attacked the state government for its poor infrastructure.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi slammed the BJP, saying the collapse was a reflection of the poor quality of infrastructure built by the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the collapse of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Maharashtra and said that every construction project of the BJP falls victim to corruption.

The Indian Navy has noted with deep concern the damage caused to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Monday morning. The statue was unveiled on December 4, 2023, Navy Day, as a mark of respect to the citizens of Sindhudurg.

The collapsed statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra on December 4, 2023.