State to seek architects' opinion
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MUMBAI: The wait for the proposed Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea is expected to get longer.
In May, the Democratic Front (DF) government announced that it would seek feedback from people over its plan. However, after dragging its feet for nearly three months, the DF regime has dropped the idea. Now, the officials have decided to seek opinion of architects.
There will be delays on account of the need to study seasonal changes and tidal patterns near the identified venue, sources said.
"An advertisement urging architects across the world to give their opinion on how the memorial should be conceived will be issued by the government... The memorial's concept that government has thought and what architects want will be discussed in threadbare and accordingly the best design will be selected to set up a Shivaji Maharaj memorial of international standards," minister Jayant Patil said on Thursday. Patil heads the state-appointed expert committee looking into setting up of the memorial. The government has identified a 16-acre islet situated about 1.2 km south-west of the Raj Bhavan and around 3.6 Km in south-west direction from H20 jetty at Girgaon for installation of the proposed 312-ft statute of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian sea.
"The experts have been asked to study issues such as structural stability and tidal behaviour near the islet for 12 months (three seasons-summer, winter and rainy)," Patil said.
"The preliminary report of the changes in the sea will be submitted in the next four months. Based on the initial inputs, a plan of action will be charted," he added.
In its 2004 poll manifesto, the Congress and the NCP had promised to construct the statute. In 2009, the Congress-NCP alliance even estimated cost of around Rs 350 crore for the project, but the project has always been delayed following several hurdles. "The aim of the government is to build memorial of international standards that will not only Indian tourist, but even foreigners. Hence cost is not a factor or issue before the ruling DF government," Patil said. The minister was replying to a query on whether the delay in project would lead to huge cost escalation.
In May, the Democratic Front (DF) government announced that it would seek feedback from people over its plan. However, after dragging its feet for nearly three months, the DF regime has dropped the idea. Now, the officials have decided to seek opinion of architects.
There will be delays on account of the need to study seasonal changes and tidal patterns near the identified venue, sources said.
"An advertisement urging architects across the world to give their opinion on how the memorial should be conceived will be issued by the government... The memorial's concept that government has thought and what architects want will be discussed in threadbare and accordingly the best design will be selected to set up a Shivaji Maharaj memorial of international standards," minister Jayant Patil said on Thursday. Patil heads the state-appointed expert committee looking into setting up of the memorial. The government has identified a 16-acre islet situated about 1.2 km south-west of the Raj Bhavan and around 3.6 Km in south-west direction from H20 jetty at Girgaon for installation of the proposed 312-ft statute of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the Arabian sea.
"The experts have been asked to study issues such as structural stability and tidal behaviour near the islet for 12 months (three seasons-summer, winter and rainy)," Patil said.
"The preliminary report of the changes in the sea will be submitted in the next four months. Based on the initial inputs, a plan of action will be charted," he added.
In its 2004 poll manifesto, the Congress and the NCP had promised to construct the statute. In 2009, the Congress-NCP alliance even estimated cost of around Rs 350 crore for the project, but the project has always been delayed following several hurdles. "The aim of the government is to build memorial of international standards that will not only Indian tourist, but even foreigners. Hence cost is not a factor or issue before the ruling DF government," Patil said. The minister was replying to a query on whether the delay in project would lead to huge cost escalation.
