Aurangabad, Jan 20:
The work of elevating the pedestal for placing the 21 feet high equestrian statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Kranti Chowk is nearing completion. The statue has been made in Thopte Studio at Dhayari in Pune. Preparations are underway to bring this statue into the city. The statue will reach the city by January 23, said sculptor Deepak Thopte and municipal city engineer Sakharam Panjhade.
Municipal administrator Astik Kumar Pandey held a meeting on Thursday to bring the statue into the city. The sculptor will be assisted by the municipal corporation to get the necessary police permission to bring the statue. In this regard sculptor Thopte said that the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is 25 feet high, 21 feet long and eight feet wide, weighing ten tons. With the permission of the police, the statue will be placed in a big truck. The statue will leave Pune on Friday afternoon. It will take two days to reach Aurangabad. The statue will arrive in the city by Sunday.
Efforts to unveil in February
There is a growing demand from the people that the statue should be unveiled before the coming Shiv Jayanti. The statue is expected to be unveiled in the first or second week of February. The program will be held after discussion with guardian minister Subhash Desai, said Panjhade.