Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, has pointed out that the use of stainless steel could have prevented the recent collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Sindhudurg, Maharashtra. Speaking at a FICCI event on September 3, Gadkari emphasized the importance of using rust-resistant materials in construction, especially in coastal regions.
Gadkari highlighted the incident as a lesson in the need for better material selection for coastal infrastructure. “Stainless steel should be the material of choice for constructing bridges and statues near the sea. If it had been used for the Shivaji Maharaj statue, the collapse could have been avoided,” he remarked.
Reflecting on his past experiences, Gadkari shared that he was deceived during the construction of 55 flyovers in Mumbai while serving as a Maharashtra minister. “Someone applied a powder coating on iron rods, claiming they were rust-proof, but they eventually rusted. This incident has reinforced my belief that stainless steel should be used within 30 kilometers of the coast,” he added.
The statue, a 35-foot representation of the 17th-century Maratha king, was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot fort in Malvan tehsil on Navy Day, December 4, 2023. The structure collapsed on August 26, causing significant embarrassment for the Eknath Shinde-led state government and sparking criticism from opposition parties. Chief Minister Shinde later clarified that the Indian Navy had overseen the statue’s design and construction.
Investigations revealed that the collapse was primarily due to the corrosion of the fabricated materials used to assemble the statue’s 637 pieces. In response, a Look Out Circular has been issued against the contractor, Jaydeep Apte, responsible for the statue’s construction. Additionally, Chetan Patil, the structural consultant involved in the project, was arrested on August 19 from Kolhapur as part of the ongoing inquiry.
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