Shivaji Statue To Be A Reality Soon: Fadnavis Government Awards Tender To L&T

The proposed Shivaji Smarak in the Arabian Sea is all set to become a reality soon. The Devendra Fadnavis-led Government of Maharashtra has finally awarded the much-awaited project to engineering major Larsen and Toubro (L&T), reports PTI.

The 210 metre-tall statue – set to be the world’s tallest – will be built on the Engineering-Procurement-Construction (EPC) model at a cost of Rs 2,500 crore.

The government called for a second round of bids after L&T’s Rs 3,826 crore bid – Rs 1,326 crore higher than the government estimate – was rejected in 2016. Three companies had bid for the project in the second round – L&T, Anil Ambani-led Reliance Infrastructure and the Shapoorji Pallonji Group’s Afcons Infrastrucutre. While Reliance lost out in the technical round, Afcons quoted Rs 4,779 crores.

The statute will be built on an 6.8 hectare island off the coast and will be 2 metres taller than the current tallest statue – the 208 m Spring Budhha statue in China that opened in 2008. Approval was granted by ten different departments from both the centre and the state with the Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority giving the go ahead to increase the height from 192 to 210 metre. The island will feature a temple, museum, hospital, entrance modelled on the Raigad Fort – the capital of Chhatrapati Shivaji’s empire – and a theatre.

Also Read: Why The Shivaji Statue Must Rise