The construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial Project in the Arabian Sea has expired today, October 18. The Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) has now permitted a one-year extension to this project without any cost escalation.
The project was initially of three years which ended today. Reportedly, the PWD had signed the contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for INR 2,800 crores. The Supreme Court, while hearing a petition in January 2019, had issued a stop-work notice and had directed the state government to not proceed with the construction activity.
A letter from the state PWD read that the approval was given for a one-year extension of the project from October 19, 2021, to October 18, 2022, to the contractor M/s L&T.
The PWD's Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial Division has proposed that the work is halted since January 2019, and the contractor has worked very little on the project; hence, the extension must be given. A hundred per cent of construction work is still pending, said the division official. They further added that the work in the sea is still pending, and no payment is made to the contractor.
The memorial's height would be 212 metres in height, state accounts. It will also have a 123.2-metre equestrian statue standing atop an 88.8-metre pedestal. In 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done 'jalpoojan' of the project.
Also read: Memorial Pillar In Remembrance Of Shahu Maharaj To Come Up In Mumbai's Girgaon Area
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