Nagpur: With Rashtrasant Tukadoji Maharaj Nagpur University (RTMNU) securing the approval to fell trees, work on what is said to become the tallest statue of Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is expected to start next week. The statue of the Maratha King seated on a throne will stand close to 52 feet tall.
A groundbreaking ceremony was held at the site in Nagpur University campus in June last year in the presence of Union Minister for Road Transport and Highway Nitin Gadkari, and other political leaders cutting across party lines. The earlier plans were for the statue’s unveiling a year after the groundbreaking ceremony.
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Friday 08 Nov. 2024
According to Mangesh Duke, Secretary of Shiv Smarak Samiti, the NGO undertaking the work, all the major approvals were secured and we were waiting to get clearance for cutting four trees that stand at the site. We have recently obtained the permission and will be required to deposit Rs 1.93 lakh with NMC for that, after which we can proceed with the work, he said, adding the delay was because the Samiti preferred to go ahead with the work with all approvals secured.
The statue of the Maratha King seated on a throne will stand close to 52 feet tall. The King’s figure itself is planned to be around 40 feet tall. The design has been approved by the government and all the safety norms will be adhered to, he said, in the light of the Malvan incident. Once the work commences, it may take around nine months to complete the statue, he said.
According to Gaurav Dubewar, principal designer of M/s Team 360 Designs, the firm which will execute the work, the statue would weigh around 10 tonnes. In terms of height, it can be compared to a ground plus four-storeyed building. As a part of safety measures, the structure will be earthquake resistant too.
The load-bearing capacity of the soil has been tested, on the basis of which the material to be used in the construction has been determined. In terms of the weight of a structure, 10 tonnes is not very heavy. In the normal course, any five-floor building weighs more than 10 tonnes, he said.
The Samiti has gone through a lengthy process for getting approvals. Apart from the structural front, approvals have also been obtained from the State’s Directorate of Arts. The facial features of the statue have been finalised on the basis of this, and work on the primary structure is on at Kolhapur, said Duke.
