While online petitions opposing the Rs 3,600 crore Shivaji Maharaj memorial started doing the rounds in December, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has now been filed in the Bombay High Court, seeking scrapping of the project
The Rs 3,600 crore memorial to Shivaji Maharaj will be built in the Arabian Sea
While online petitions opposing the Rs 3,600 crore Shivaji Maharaj memorial started doing the rounds in December, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has now been filed in the Bombay high court, seeking scrapping of the project. The petitioner claims it is a gross waste of taxpayers’ money in addition to being nothing more than a political stunt.
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State in debt
The petitioner, Mohan Bhide, who is a professor based in Vile Parle, argued that the state government has already spent around Rs 77 crore in just the promotional event and the jal poojan ceremony, done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He also claimed that such expenses were being done at a time when the state is in a debt running into Rs 4 lakh crore.
“I have full respect and honour for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. But I am against the huge expenditure of hard-earned taxpayers’ money. The project of constructing a statue in the middle of the sea is nothing but a political stunt of all political parties operating in Maharashtra,” the PIL said. The petitioner further said that 17,000 children died of malnutrition in the state last year, 85 major dams are incomplete due to lack of funds, 70 villages don’t have a water connection, 60 lakh houses are needed in the state, last year, the state declared around 25,000 villages as drought-hit. He said the government should concentrate on fixing these issues instead.
The petition further said if political parties want to create a memorial for Shivaji Maharaj they should first take steps towards maintaining the forts built by Shivaji and his descendents across the state.
'Maha govt richer'
Responding to the PIL, justices Manjulla Chellur and Girish Kulkarni who told him, “Have you seen the Kanyakumari statue in Tamil Nadu or the statue of Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar [lake]? If those state governments can afford it, we are sure the Maharashtra government is richer [and] even they can afford it.” The HC has kept the matter for hearing in normal procedure and has not given any urgency.
With Agency Inputs
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