Petitioners and renowned environmentalists have opposed the state government’s plan to construct a Chhatrapati Shivaji statue 3.5-km into the Arabian Sea. Many of them expressed shock over facts being referred to as ‘speculative’ and ‘without proof’ despite being extracted from National Environmental Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) and National Institute of Oceanography (NIO).
Wildlife biologist and founder of NGO SPROUTS Anand Pendharkar said, “It is unbelievable that the government is terming the reports as ‘speculative’. The government’s affidavit is unbelievable, as they doubt their own institutes. The construction of the project will destroy the marine reef.” Environmentalist and activist Rishi Aggarwal said, “It is sad that the government is willing to spend such a huge amount on building the statue. Instead of spending on tourism, they should spend to better the existing places.”
The petitioners who are not against the statue of the Maratha king but against it being constructed in the Arabian Sea claim that the same could be constructed in a 250-acre land available anywhere else.
Marine conservationist Pradip Patade, one of the petitioners, said, “I have personally been to the proposed site for the Chhatrapati Shivaji statue project and have photographic evidences of the place being rich in marine animals. The proposed development will not only destroy the marine life but add to global warming.”
