Worli fort, not sea, likely venue for Shivaji statue

Worli fort, not sea, likely venue for Shivaji statue

In face of the near-impossible environment clearance, the state government has shelved the idea of the erecting the Shivaji Statue in the Arabian Sea off Marine Drive. In fact, the government has been scouting for an alternate site on the shore, and the periphery of the Worli fort, which comes under the CRZ II norms, is the most likely venue. Deputy CM Ajit Pawar said on Wednesday that the government had made budgetary allocation for the statue, but with the environmental clearance seeming difficult to come by, it had decided to shift the site on-shore. “We have asked officials to finalise a site near the original site, but it won’t be possible to disclose the geographic details of the site as it may face resistance to the project,” he added. Pawar said once the site was finalised he, along with CM Prithviraj Chavan, will take its aerial inspection. “We haven’t scrapped the project, only the site has been changed,” he added. According to the reliable sources from General Administration Department (GAD) the statue next to the Worli fort is the highly thought of alternative site. “It would not be in Nariman Point or Chowpatty as they are notified as CRZ-I areas. We are thinking of Worli fort periphery that falls under CRZ-II and won’t need the Centre’s permission. The decision will be taken only after due deliberation by the committee headed by CM Chavan,” the official said. Apart from the environmental issues, the committee was doubtful about the technology required to erect the statue that flaunted to be on the lines of statue of liberty in New York, he added.