Mumbai, Sep 4 (IANS) The ruling MahaYuti government ally Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on Wednesday endorsed BJP Union Minister Nitin Gadkari’s comments on how the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Sindhudurg could have withstood bad weather if it was built with stainless steel.
Unimpressed, the leaders of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi, Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (SP)-Shiv Sena (UBT), continue to target the government for the disaster alleging huge corruption in the project, and launched a fresh agitation in the state from Sep. 1, demanding the resignation of the MahaYuti regime.
Speaking at an event in Delhi on Tuesday, Nitin Gadkari said that if the Chhatrapati statue at Rajkot Fort in Malvan had been built of stainless steel, it would not have crashed, especially as it stood in the coastal area.
Emphasising the need for the right construction materials, he said that iron gets rusted on the coasts, and he had been insisting on using stainless steel for building roads or bridges that are within 30 km near the sea-shore.
Shiv Sena Chief Spokesperson Krishna Hegde concurred with Gadkari and said that the committee comprising the Indian Navy and technical experts will go into all aspects of the statue crash, and erect a better and grander one in its place.
Nationalist Congress Party (SP) President Sharad Pawar said that statue broke down in barely eight months as the project was given to an inexperienced sculptor, Jaydeep Apte, with limited skills.
“It does not appear that Apte had any expertise to make such a huge statue… the state government’s contention that it crashed due to bad weather conditions holds no water… the whole thing seems to reek of corruption,” said a stern Pawar on Wednesday in Kolhapur.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut reiterated on Wednesday that barely a fraction of the huge budget sanctioned for the statue project was utilised and how “someone had pocketed the rest of the funds”, which must be probed and the culprits punished.
The Chhatrapati statue crash row rages nine days after it suddenly fell into a heap at the Rajkot Fort, shocking the people of the state, as the MahaYuti of Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party-Nationalist Congress Party attempted a damage-control exercise.
Apprehensive over its implications in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Mumbai BJP chief Ashish Shelar, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, plus Prime Minister Narendra Modi, tendered separate apologies.
Meanwhile, the state government on Monday transferred the Sindhudurg Collector and downgraded the scenic coastal district’s top post to a non-IAS junior administrative level category, surprising political and government circles.
–IANS
qn/pgh
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.