Rusty Nuts and Bolts: The Reason Behind the Collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Statue

An FIR has been filed against Jaydeep Apte, the contractor for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg, which collapsed on Monday, just eight months after its inauguration. The statue, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 4, 2023, has raised serious concerns.

The FIR, lodged under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), also names structural consultant Chetan Patil. The charges include conspiracy, fraud, and endangering public safety. The complaint, made by the Public Works Department (PWD), alleges poor-quality construction and rusted nuts and bolts in the statue's structure.

Despite concerns from local citizens and tourists about the statue's deteriorating condition and an alert from the assistant engineer of the Malvan division of the PWD on August 20, no preventive measures were taken. The PWD's warnings about the risk of rusting components like nuts and bolts were ignored, leading to the statue's eventual collapse.

"The steel used in the 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," quoted Sindhudurg guardian minister Ravindra Chavan.

The statue's construction commenced on September 8, with the Indian Navy, which lacks expertise in statue erection, being assigned to set up the statue and its pedestal. The statue was officially unveiled on December 4 at Rajkot Fort on Navy Day, with Prime Minister Modi attending the ceremony. In response to the incident, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde attributed the collapse to strong winds, reportedly blowing at 45 km per hour at the time. However, the Opposition has criticised the government for negligence, questioning the adequacy of the construction and maintenance measures.