Mumbai's Shivaji Statue To Be World's Tallest

The statue of warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, planned in the sea off the Mumbai Coast, has received the environmental clearance required to become the world's tallest statue.

The Maharashtra Coastal Zone Management Authority (MCZMA) approved the state government's application to increase the height of the statue from 192m to 210m, surpassing the 208m spring temple Buddha statue in China - the tallest in the world.

MCZMA officials said the environmental clearance was issued simce other approvals were in place. "Our major concern was if the state had received height clearance from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which they had. After they submitted all permissions and presented a comparison of different statues in the world, we were told that the tip of Shivaji Maharaja's sword will be at 210m," said Satish Gavai, chairman of MCZMA and additional chief secretary, state environment department. He added that a verbal clearance had been issued and within a few days, the state will be given a formal response. Last to last year, CM Devendra Fadnavis directed the finance ministry to make budgetry allocations of ₹3,600 Crore for the project. However, members of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Samiti (CSMSS), the group appointed by the state government to implement the project, said after the sanctioned height increase, the project cost now stands at ₹4,000 Crore. The equestrian statue of the king has been planned on a rocky outcrop of 15.96 hectares, roughly 1.5km from Raj Bhawan, at the sourthern tip of Mumbai. The memorial will have a temple, museum, hospital, entrance modelled on the Raigad fort and a museum showcasing heighlights of Shivaji's lifeunder the first phase with an exlected cost of ₹2,500 Crore.

CSMSS members said the construction work is expected to be completed by 2021. "MCZMA officials sanctioned the project based on its technical and legal aspects. We are expecting the formal response. We now have all clearances to go ahead with the construction of the tallest statue globally," said Vinayak Mete, head, CSMSS.