Maharashtra awaiting final nod for Shivaji statue project

Mumbai: Maharashtra government is awaiting a final approval of the revised design of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, official sources said in Mumbai on Tuesday. [caption id=“attachment_1419705” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Environment Minister Veerappa Moily. PTI[/caption] Guardian minister of Mumbai city Jayant Patil told reporters that presentation of the revised design of the Shivaji statue project was made before the Union minister for Environment and Forests R Veerappa Moily last week. Patil, who is also the head of the committee appointed for the project, said that interim reports of surveys and studies conducted to assess the impact on environment, the wind tunnel effect, coastal modelling and tidal behaviour have been submitted to the Ministry of Environment and Forests for clearance. He said that the project needs two and half years to complete and start of work depended on the Centre’s clearance. Speaking to reporters after presentation of the revised design at the press conference, Patil said. “Though the final cost of the project has not been worked out, it’s likely to be approximately Rs 1,400 crore. The cost depends on the material and the design we choose for the ambitious project,” he said. “The presentation of the new design, which was prepared by the JJ School of Architecture, has been made before the Union Minister for Environment and Forests M Veerappa Moily last week. We have requested the central government to exempt the project from CRZ IV category,” he said. The minister claimed that studies conducted by the National Environment Engineering Research Institute and the National Institute of Oceanography have stated that there would be be no adverse impact on the environment or ecology. “We expect at least 10,000 people to visit the project daily and no tourist visiting Mumbai will miss it,” he said. Apart from the largest oceanarium, the project would have a library, amphitheatre, sound and light show as well as an outer wall which would look like a fort. “The project would have disaster management plans with a heliport for parking three helicopters, a jetty for emergency evacuation and medical facilities for emergencies,” Additional Chief Secretary of the general administrative department P S Meena said. PTI