'Use Rs 3,600 crore on preserving Shivaji's decrepit forts instead'

Art director Nitin Chandrakant Desai right in white with his team and the statue of Shivaji Maharaj that will be taken to the memorial site tomorrow PicsBipin KokateThe state governments decision to construct a 192metre midsea memorial for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has not found favour with environmentalists activists and citizens They want the administration to instead spend the whopping R3600 crore mdash the estimated budget for the memorial mdash on preserving the Maratha kings forts across Maharashtra that are in a dilapidated condition An online petition has also been started to stop the construction of the monument which has gathered 15000 signaturesThe construction of the mega memorial will begin after a jalpoojan ceremony tomorrow at the hands of Prime Minister Narendra Modi However the project has been mired in controversy especially after 2009 when the Congressled Democratic Front government announced their plans of constructing the statue and building a memorial around it in the middle of the Arabian Sea This hasnt deterred the previous government or the current oneAlso Read Bhoomi pujan for Shivaji Memorial Guest list from PM Narendra Modis primo ride setThe statue being carried on Girgaum beach to the float that will ferry it to the spot of the proposed memorialCM visit Shivajis fortRather than wasting money the Chief Minister should visit the forts of Shivaji Maharaj which are in dilapidated condition and spend the money for the memorial on restoring the forts I feel bad looking at the dilapidated condition of the forts like Raigad Sinhagad Shivneri and others because the government is doing nothing to restore them said Ratnakar Sawant an avid trekker The condition of other important forts like Purandhar Torna and Rajgad is no differentWill impact marine life tooActivists have also alleged that the project will have a negative impact on marine life and biodiversity along with the livelihood of fishermen but the state government is still keen on going through with it Damodar Tandel a leader of the fishermens community along with activist Pradip Patade has also approached the National Green Tribunal opposing the Shivaji statueRead Story Shivaji Maharaj memorial Lalbaugcha Raja to lend its float for jalpoojanAnand Pendharkar from NGO SPROUTS opined The government is being undemocratic and is forcing the monument on the city Besides the Arabian Sea is rich in biodiversity right from corals to Gorgonian fans sponges related tropical fishes crabs cowries brittle stars and many marine animals While existing Shivaji monuments with a high tourism value are in a decrepit state why are we wasting more public money on a newer structure which will destroy livelihoods the marine ecosystem and pollute the local environment This is against Shivajis philosophyStalin D from NGO Vanashakti said This idea of a memorial in the sea is nothing but an exercise in vote bank politics It is an excuse to squander thousands of crores of rupees with obvious benefits to all involved in executing the projectIn a state with records of infant deaths due to starvation this kind of wasteful expenditure is a slap on the faces of the poor The project will also have a negative impact on the marine biodiversity he addedEarlier this year MNS chief Raj Thackeray had also opposed the idea of having a statue in the Arabian Sea and had said that the government should start the restoration of the forts in Maharashtra as they are the real memorials of the king