Mumbai : The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue and memorial in the Arabian Sea has been given all the approvals needed from all the possible authorities. The interest bid to appoint consultants will be invited in the next two months and will then be finalised. However, actual work on the project will start after the monsoons.
The government had planned a bhoomipujan of the project on February 19, which is observed as the warrior king’s birth anniversary. However, the plan was cancelled, as no permissions had been obtained from the environment and oceanography departments. Now, the bhoomipujan will be held after the monsoons.
The project was approved as a “permissible activity” and it will cost approximately Rs 2,000 crore to ensure that it does not cause any environmental damage. So, the government sought permission from the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and sent a revised proposal to the Centre, which has already been approved.
“After getting a nod from the MoEF, the government also applied for a no-objection certificate from the oceanography department. That permission has arrived recently,” said a senior official from Mantralaya.
According to sources, the state government is in the process of short-listing a consultant for the project. “The consultant will set the timeline for the memorial, as well as help with the design,” the official said.
“The project is a sensitive one, and so the government has to take all the permissions needed from all the authorities concerned. The last permission needed was received from the oceanography department, as the project is concerned with the oceanography. The marine life under water should not be disturbed because of the project,” the official added.
Pandurang Mhaske
