Maharashtra halts construction of Shivaji statue

Shiv Kumar
Tribune News Service
Mumbai, January 16

The Maharashtra Government has stopped the construction of the memorial for Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj off Mumbai following an order of the Supreme Court.

According to sources at the Maharashtra's Public Works Department Larsen and Toubro, which is constructing the statue has been asked to stop work.

Earlier this month, the apex court while hearing a public interest litigation petition filed by an NGO Conservation Action Trust (CAT) ordered suspension of work on the project.

State government officials said the Maharashtra government will have to file an affidavit before the Supreme Court in response to the petition filed by the NGO. The legal process is likely to delay construction of the project, officials felt.

In its petition, the NGO had challenged the decision of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) exempting the project from the public hearing process as per a notification issued in February 2015.

The memorial measuring 212 metres in height is to have a 123.2 metre statue of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj overlooking the Arabian Sea.

The entire project was expected to cost Rs 2,890 crore.