Engineer claims he 'only worked on platform' of collapsed Chhatrapati Shivaji statue in India's Sindhudurg
Shivaji statue collapses
An engineer, named in the FIR registered over the collapse of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's statue in the western Indian state of Maharashtra has claimed that he was only responsible for the platform, not the structural integrity of the project.
Chetan Patil, the structural engineer, in an interview with a local channel, said he did not have anything to do with the statue that collapsed at Fort Rajkot in the state's Sindhudurg district. Patil, alongside contractor Jaydeep Apte has been named in the FIR.
“A Thane-based company did the statue-related work. I was just asked to work on the platform on which the statue was being erected,” Patil was quoted as saying by ABP Manjha.
Meanwhile, the Public Works Department (PWD) has blamed the Indian Navy and the sculptor for the collapse of the statue.
“The Navy was in a great hurry to complete the statue before the December 4 Indian Navy Day function at Malvan," a PWD official said.
“We were also toldthat the sculptor and structural consultant had guaranteed a 200-year life for the statue.”
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“The sculptor and foundation expert were welding the statue at the spot for nearly two months. In the last eight days, naval officials took over the welding work and kept others out of the site. This will all come out in the investigation,"PWD executive engineer Ajaykumar Sarvagod added.
Watch |India: 35-foot tall Shivaji statue collapses in Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district
Indian Navy investigates
The Indian Navy has also opened an investigation into the incident and will reveal the cause of the collapse in due time.
"Along with the State Government and concerned specialists, the Navy has deputed a team to immediately investigate the cause of this unfortunate accident and initiate steps to repair, restore and reinstate the statue at the earliest," the Indian Navy stated.
State Chief Minister Eknath Shinde claimed that strong winds likely led to the collapse of the statue.
“The incident that happened is unfortunate. This statue was erected by the Navy. They had also designed it. But due to strong winds of around 45 km/h, it fell and got damaged," he said.
The 35-foot statue was unveiled only nine months ago by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and collapsed on Monday (Aug 26) - leading to outrage. Chhatrapati Shivaji was the king of the Maratha empire and a revered figure across India.
(With inputs from agencies)