Does Maharashtra Really Need To Build The World’s Tallest Statue?

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit one of Mumbai’s most iconic areas, Marine Drive, to lay the foundation stone for what is slated to be the world’s tallest statue. Once complete, the statue of Maratha warrior king Shivaji riding a horse will stand 190 metres tall.

According to a publicly available document authored by the state’s chief architect, the statue is proposed to be built on a basalt rock outcrop 1.2 kilometres south-south west of Rajbhavan, 3.6 kilometres south west of Girgaon, and 2.6 kilometres west of Nariman Point. The rocky outcrop measures just under 16 hectares.

Apart from the statue, the government has proposed to build landscaped gardens, a museum, an amphitheatre, and an exhibition gallery. A jetty service will ferry visitors to and from the the monument.

The cost of the project, according to several media reports, is estimated at Rs 3,600 crore.

Questions have been raised about the need for such an expensive monument, especially considering the Maharashtra government’s indebtedness. As on March 31, the state’s total outstanding debt stood at close to Rs 3.2 lakh crore.

Some Mumbaikars say the idea is wasteful and the funds could be put to better use, while a good number of others think it would be a great idea.