`Urge CM to install statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj locked at Wadi Bunder`
A city-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Watchdog Foundation, has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, to get the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj released from the railway`s custody for installation at a rightful place.
In a front page article on Tuesday, Mid-day had highlighted how a life-size statue of the 17th century Maratha warrior has been lying locked at a shed in Wadi Bunder near Sandhurst Road for the past few years owing to lack of permissions. The statue was originally meant to be installed in front of Platform 18 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), near the P D’Mello Road entrance. The plan also included murals of Raigad, Panhala, Sinhagad, Shivneri, Rajgad, Bhulkot, and Janjira forts, along with themed lighting. However, the entire project was scrapped after CSMT was selected for redevelopment.
“We write to bring to your urgent attention the matter of the statue of our national hero, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which has been locked at Wadi Bunder near Sandhurst Road, Mumbai. Despite its significance, the statue remains confined, and no action has been taken for its rightful installation,” Nicholas Almeida of Watchdog Foundation wrote in the letter, threatening legal course of action.
The Railways, however, cited two regulations that prohibit the installation of statues on station premises. The first, an Indian Railways circular from the 1970s, states that installing statues of national leaders on station premises is prohibited as they are “not considered appropriate places to honour our national heroes.” The rule includes plaques, murals and memorials. The second is that CSMT is a UNESCO-listed heritage site, where any structural intervention is strictly prohibited.
“The statue was commissioned by some overzealous officials unaware of the dual restrictions. Now that it’s ready, it will likely be installed in a railway colony or utility space away from the station,” a railway official said.
