Maharashtra: Nitin Gadkari's Big Suggestion For CM Eknath Shinde, Says Shivaji's Statue Should Be Of Steel

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari recently reacted on Shiva Ji Maharaj's statue collapse incident. Highlighted the importance of stainless steel in coastal regions to prevent rusting, Nitin Gadkar said if Shivaji's statue in Sindhudurg should have been made of stainless steel, it would not have collapsed.

Gadkari said that using stainless steel could safeguard infrastructure as it provides a shield against rusting. He shared the suggestion sighting his personal experience.

"I have been pressing for the last three years that stainless steel should be used in the construction of bridges built close to sea. When I (as state minister) was implementing the construction of 55 flyovers in Mumbai, one person took me for a ride. He put some powder coating on iron rods and said those were rust-proof... But there was rusting. Now I feel in all roads within 30km from the sea, stainless steel should be used. If stainless steel had been used for the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, it would have never collapsed," he said at a Ficci event.

Recently, a 35-foot tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Rajkot Fort in Malvan tehsil of Sindhudurg on Navy Day (December 4) last year, collapsed on August 26, 2024.

After the shocking incident, the state government had to face the heat as collapse of Shivaji Maharaj's statue is directly connected with seniments of the people of the state. However, CM Eknath Shinde order a high-level enquiry in the matter and directed to take strict actions against culprits who used bad quality raw material during the construction.