The site of the Shivaji Maharaj memorial statue in Arabian Sea. ( Express photo by Prashant Nadkar/File) The site of the Shivaji Maharaj memorial statue in Arabian Sea. ( Express photo by Prashant Nadkar/File) Referring to the findings of the interim geotechnical survey carried out by contractor L&T, APLI Mumbai, an NGO has written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the chief secretary and principal secretary (PWD), asking them to cancel the Shivaji memorial project as the site is unsuitable for it. According to the APLI Mumbai, the interim geotechnical investigation report was submitted after completion of two boreholes down to 100 m depth at the location and 15 boreholes down to 15 m-30 m in depth at the location of the Marine Works in April and May. The report stated that there is weathered and compact basalt found up to 11 m only and volcanic tuff below it at the statue location. The missive comes three weeks after a person drowned and 24 others had a close shave after a speedboat carrying visitors to the site of the proposed Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai’s Marine Drive, hit a rocky surface underwater and began to flood. APLI Mumbai said the strata at the Marine Works largely consists of volcanic tuff, or volcanic tuff interbedded with shale. “The extensive strata of volcanic tuff is unsuitable for founding a massive statue structure, and 2 million tons of construction material. Such a mass of volcanic tuff cannot support end bearing piles on which a statue structure of 212 m has to be built,” claimed Vice-Admiral (Retd) I C Rao, president of APLI Mumbai, in the letter. “Any extraordinary measures to design the foundations to cater to such weak foundation strata will be prone to failure and unsatisfactory in the long life which is a necessary criterion for the memorial,” he added. He demanded that the government should immediately revoke the project site and cancel the work order given to the contractor to prevent wasteful expenditure. In September, the executive engineer of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Smarak Project Division of the PWD had written to IIT-Bombay asking it to clarify about the disparity found in the rock strata in the IIT-B report and the interim report of the L&T. The IIT-B report, in 2014, had showed the compact basalt up to 60 m depth at the project site. The work cannot start until the crucial issue of disparity found in the rock strata is resolved, stated the letter sent to IIT-Bombay. PWD officials said they are yet to get a response from IIT-Bombay. However, Manoj Saunik, Principal Secretary (PWD), said: “At the moment, there is not much substance or evidence to say that the site is unsuitable.” On April 7, 2017, APLI Mumbai had written to the state listing out 25 technical issues from the safety point view saying the project should be relocated to Cross Island, 1 km off Ferry Wharf. For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

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