PM Modi lays foundation stone for Shivaji Memorial

The main feature of the Shivaji memorial, budget at around Rs 3,600 crore, will be a 192-metre-tall statue of the Maratha king.

Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the grand memorial of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on board a hovercraft in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai coast on Saturday.

The main feature of the Shivaji memorial, budget at around Rs 3,600 crore, will be a 192-metre-tall statue of the Maratha king. The site for the structure is roughly 1.5 km from the Raj Bhavan shore. Along with PM Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Shiv Sena's chief Uddhav Thackeray were also present on board.

Earlier on Saturday, the PM had tweeted from Delhi: "I am honoured to be getting the opportunity to perform the bhoomipujan of Shiv Smarak."

The visit assumes political significance as the high-stake elections to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation are just a few months away. The prime minister is on a day-long visit to Maharashtra and will now head to Pune, where he will lay the foundation stone of the Pune Metro Rail project.