Nagpur, Dec 9 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday informed the state assembly that the Union Government has approved the installation of a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at the premises of Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT).

His announcement came after Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Bhaskar Jadhav raised the issue, demanding that a grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj be installed at the CSMT. Jadhav pointed out that the CSMT station is named after the legendary Maratha king, but there is no statue of him there.

CM’s announcement is important ahead of the upcoming BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections, with both BJP-led MahaYuti and Maha Vikas Aghadi are expected to make it an election issue.

CM Fadnavis, during a presentation made to him recently, informed that the grand statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj will be installed at the premises of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT), saying that the installation is part of the ongoing large-scale redevelopment project at the historic railway station.

CM Fadnavis clarified that since the Centre has already taken the decision, there is no need for a new proposal from the state, confirming its inclusion in the master plan for the revamped iconic station.

He said that the reply of the Union Minister of State for Railways with regard to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was in connection with the old CSTM. He reiterated that it will be installed after the completion of the ongoing large-scale redevelopment project.

Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant had also raised the demand, expressing disappointment over delays. “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a national icon. After the station was renamed Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, we demanded that a statue be built in front of it. Work had begun but was later stopped, citing jurisdiction and policy issues. Yet, the same Railways constructed a mural of Sardar Patel at Kevadiya station,” Sawant said.

–IANS

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