Mumbai: A statue of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a fort in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district last year, collapsed on Monday, an official said.
Following the incident, the opposition parties have slammed the state government, alleging it had paid little attention to the quality of work.
A 35-foot statue of Shivaji collapsed around 1 pm at Rajkot Fort in Malvan, the official said.
Experts will ascertain the exact cause of the collapse, but the district has witnessed heavy rains and gusty winds in the last two to three days, he said.
Senior officials of the police and district administration reached the site to take stock of the situation, and the damage is being examined, he said.
PM Modi unveiled the statue on December 4 last year on the occasion of Navy Day. He also participated in the celebrations at the fort.
The Sharad Pawar-led NCP was quick blame the government. NCP (SP) state president and former minister Jayant Patil said, "The state government is responsible for the collapse, as it did not take proper care. The government paid little attention to the quality of work. It only focused on conducting an event where Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited to unveil the statue. This Maharashtra government only issues new tenders, accepts commissions and gives contracts accordingly."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik also criticised the state government for the alleged poor quality of the work. "The state government may try to evade responsibility. People responsible for the construction and erection of the statue must be probed thoroughly," he said.
Maharashtra Minister Deepak Kesarkar said, "I don't have all the details about the incident. However, it's important to note that PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan, also the guardian minister of Sindhudurg district, has said a thorough investigation will be conducted in the matter."
"We are committed to erecting a new statue at the same location. This statue, unveiled by PM Modi, pays tribute to Shivaji Maharaj's visionary efforts in building a sea fort. We will take all necessary steps to address this matter promptly and effectively," he said.
