Shivaji statue clears final hurdle

The decks have been cleared for the construction of the proposed 190-m tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian Sea.

The decks have been cleared for the construction of the proposed 190-m tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian Sea.

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The project cleared its last hurdle after it received a nod from the ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) earlier this month.

The approval for the Rs1,900-crore project came more than two months after the Centre amended the Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) notification, 2011, which allowed reclamation, on December 11 last year. The terms of reference for the project were cleared on January 28.

The minutes of the meeting held on February 9, which were released on Friday, stated that clearance for the project was given on certain conditions — no dredging during construction, having a strong evacuation system in case of disasters, building multi-level parking, among other things.

“We had completed all environment studies and got the clearances before we approached the expert appraisal committee (EAC) again. The Shivaji memorial is a national monument and the government plans to promote it as an international landmark. We expect 10,000 visitors here daily,” said a senior official.

The government is planning a bhoomipujan for the memorial by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The government has proposed two multi-level parking bays, free shuttle services from Churchgate and CST to cater to the visitors.

The committee has asked the authorities to keep enough boats, barrages, ambulances, helicopter services for airlifting and to create a 10-bed hospital on site for medical emergencies.