Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said if stainless steel had been used for construction of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue at Rajkot fort in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, it would not have collapsed. Gadkari also pitched for use of rust-resistant products in coastal areas.

The collapse of the statue of the iconic Founder of the Maratha State on August 26 triggered a political row ahead of assembly elections in Maharashtra.

The road transport and Highways Minister said here at an event he has been pressing for the last three years that stainless steel should be used in the construction of bridges built close to sea. Recalling his days as PWD Minister of Maharashtra, he said he was constructing 55 flyovers in Mumbai and one person fooled him.

“He put some powder coating on iron rods and said those were rust-proof. But there was rusting. I believe that stainless steel should be used within 30 km of sea. “If stainless steel had been used for the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji, it would have never collapsed,” Gadkari said at an event here.

Police in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district has issued a look out circular (LOC) against contractor Jaydeep Apte in connection with the collapse of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue at Rajkot fort. An LOC is issued to airports and all other exit points to stop Apte from fleeing the country.

Apte, a Thane-based sculptor, had executed the contract to make the statue. Following its collapse on August 26, less than nine months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated it on the coastal fort, Malvan police registered a case against Apte and structural consultant Chetan Patil for negligence and other offences.

Patil was arrested from Kolhapur, whereas search was on for Apte, a police official said, adding that Malvan police has now issued an LOC for him.

Meanwhile,  the Congress on Wednesday alleged in Pune that a meagre amount of Rs 1.5 crore was spent on the construction of the Shivaji Maharaj statue that had collapsed in coastal Sindhudurg even though a sum of “Rs 236 crore” was taken for this work from the State coffers.

Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole also hit back at Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and other leaders of the Mahayuti who have accused the Opposition of politicising the statue incident.

Speaking to reporters in Pune ahead of the party’s constituency review meeting for assembly elections, AICC in-charge for Maharashtra, Ramesh Chennithala, alleged spike in crimes against women and children, and murders, which is testimony to the worsening law and order situation under the Mahayuti Government. “Every day, cases of murders, and sexual assaults on women and children are being reported. In Pune, two murders were reported. It shows that the law and order situation has crumbled completely,” Chennithala told reporters. He alleged the State Government was insensitive towards people and engrossed in perpetrating “scams and means to collect money”.

Patole claimed approximately Rs 236 crore was taken from the State Government’s coffers in the name of the construction of Shivaji Maharaj’s statue at Rajkot fort in Sindhudurg district. “But as per our information, the statue construction work was completed with Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore,” the Congress leader alleged.

The statue collapsed on August 26, more than eight months after it was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, triggering a political firestorm. Responding to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s charge that the opposition was politicising the statue incident, Patole said venting anger against the “insult” of Shivaji Maharaj and the Badlapur incident cannot be termed as politicising the matter.

Two four-year-old girls were allegedly sexually abused by a male sweeper at a school in Badlapur in Thane district. The opposition had alleged that the police delayed the registration of FIR in the case.

“These issues are beyond the realm of politics,” Patole said, alleging the Government was not taking the opposition into confidence and instead the ruling parties are organising counter protests.

Chennithala said the MPCC will hold deliberations with the party workers and functionaries from Pune, Solapur, Kolhapur and Satara districts for the upcoming assembly elections.

He added that the party had held review meetings for 122 constituencies so far.