Shivaji statue: Sapkal, Raut allege corruption amid ground cave-in; issue rectified, says collector

Mumbai, Jun 16 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal on Monday claimed the pedestal of the newly installed statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort in the state's Sindhudurg district has developed a big hole.

The statue was a replacement for the one that fell on August 26 last year, just months after it was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Navy Day on December 4, 2023.

The new statue was inaugurated by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as recently as May 11, Sapkal pointed out.

"It is a sign of poor construction if the pedestal has developed a big hole in one month. The statue inaugurated by PM Modi fell in just eight months due to huge corruption in carrying out the work," he alleged.

The new statue was erected after public anger over the collapse of the earlier, but this time too corruption has caused damage to the pedestal, the Congress leader added.

Alleging corruption, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said visuals show that the ground near the pedestal of the statue had caved in.

Amid these allegations, Sindhudurg Collector Anil Patil clarified that the ground around the pedestal had sunk due to rains but the issue had been rectified. PTI MR BNM