India is about to spend a ridiculous $500 million on a statue in the middle of the Arabian sea

[duhastmish]

500 million for a statue is too much.

Btw thats just the basic cost. Apart from that man hours from govt officials and other hindrance it will create is separate.
Fishermen will loose lot of fishing lively hood. That should be counted as well.
Then the political visits which cost fortune and all the drama that goes with it.

And the cost will be revised like all goverment projects. It might increase 3 folds.

 

[baajey]

Totally agree with red part.

I am strong supporter of RSS. but you need to remember in our ideology Nation comes first. We really dont bother with religion. trust me if modiji do anything against nation I will oppose him.

my real surname is same of naval officer captured in Balochistan.

Well, I m not a supporter of any such organisation. I feel they are baby nazis. However, my opinion doesn't matter.
Regarding Modi, I was very hopeful, I still am but he is still in the grip of RSS. We do remember what happened when the last BJP behemoth tried to get out of the dictates of the sangh.
But anyway, mr modi is way better than the fools trying to replace him.
.......are u sure u are not related to him , the spy ?

 

[saurav jha]

Well, I m not a supporter of any such organisation. I feel they are baby nazis. However, my opinion doesn't matter.
Regarding Modi, I was very hopeful, I still am but he is still in the grip of RSS. We do remember what happened when the last BJP behemoth tried to get out of the dictates of the sangh.
But anyway, mr modi is way better than the fools trying to replace him.
.......are u sure u are not related to him , the spy ?

Its too early to say anything about modiji. i am also very hopeful about him. i think he deserves one more term to prove himself.
no relation. just same surname.

 

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

These Figures Show How Budget For Shivaji Statue Is Far More Than Mumbai’s Welfare Schemes


The Bharatiya Janata Party-led Maharashtra government is on an overdrive to woo Marathas even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mumbai on Saturday to lay foundation of the grand memorial of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Along with the Rs 3,600 crore memorial, Modi will also lay foundation stones of metro rail projects in Mumbai and Pune.

The Shivaji memorial will be a 192-metre-tall statue of the iconic Maratha king. The site is a rocky outcrop, roughly 1.5 km from the Raj Bhavan shore. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis recently said the 'Shiv Smarak' will not only be the tallest memorial in the country, but in the entire world.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the memorial | Source: PTI
The memorial project has been facing stiff opposition from fisherfolk and environmentalists, who have alleged that it would affect marine life and ecology of the Arabian Sea. Not to forget the huge amount the project is incurring.

A Times of India analysis shows how the amount is actually more than the budget for many of the public welfare schemes by the Mumbai government.

For instance, the Shivaji memorial will cost about the same as the civic body's entire annual budget

Much more than its budget for education in municipal schools

A memorial seven times more important than open spaces?

The statue will cost more than the government expenditure on drinking water

Malnourished kids deserve more attention, Mr CM

(With inputs from PTI)

 

[INDIAPOSITIVE]

Without The Rs 3600 Crore Shivaji Statue, India Will Cease To Exist


At around 3:30 pm on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a trip in a Coast Guard hovercraft to inaugurate the Rs 3600 crore Shivaji statue which will be built on reclaimed land in the Arabian Sea.

He looked particularly pleased with himself as he made the trip to the spot surrounded by other officials and a few coast guard officers. There was even a video camera capturing every minute and a few DSLRs as well. Perhaps, the BJP's Chief Minister (Devendra Fadnavis) of Maharashtra has told him that the state's most urgent need -- drought, malnutrition, bad infrastructure, corruption, open spaces, education aside -- is this Shivaji statue.

If Maharashtra doesn't get it now, it will crash and burn. There should have been no other reason to look so pleased.

(Read More: These Figures Show How Budget For Shivaji Statue Is Far More Than Mumbai’s Welfare Schemes)

The Prime Minister, Narendra Modi performing Jal Pujan for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea, 4 km off Mumbai's Marine Drive, in Mumbai on December 24, 2016. The Governor of Maharashtra, Shri C. Vidyasagar Rao is also seen | Source: PTI

Or perhaps PM Modi has a thing for big statues -- the Sardar Patel statue in Gujarat isn't going to come cheap either. The bigger they are, the better spectacle they make. Clearly, the BJP and the Shiv Sena must have watched Godzilla (remember the 'Size does matter' tagline) more than a couple of times.

Either which way as Modi made the trip to the statue, he should have realised that the water in the Arabian sea near Mumbai is as filthy as a sewer. Authorities advise, not swim in these waters or to do so at your own risk. But no, PM Modi has realised that spending money on trying to clean up water bodies is futile (just see what happened to crores that were spent on the Clean Ganga project) -- so statues are better.

(Read More: With Rs 20,000 Cr Already Alloted, NGT Asks Centre To Not Spend A Penny More On Ganga Cleaning)

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi performing Jal Pujan for the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea, 4 kms off Mumbai's Marine Drive, in Mumbai on December 24, 2016 | Source: PIB
2
After all, statues are nothing less than symbols of power. Politicians build them -- either to appease their ego or that of their supporters. They build them because unlike hospitals, roads or even schools, statues only require occasional cleaning. And big statues -- like the one that is expected to come up -- will remind people of just how unselfish the BJP or the Shiv Sena politicians were (the fight is still on to decide who will ultimately get the credit for this.)

Shiv Sena is a party that has quite literally 'fought' for the Marathi manoos. In the other corner, we have the BJP -- who have built up Shivaji as a nationalist icon over the years, one that they are seeking to make their own. The BJP's task is unenviably more difficult -- over the years the Shiv Sena has proudly flaunted his image for every purpose imaginable (even their local shakas are built like forts). But now, the BJP government hopes that the statue will tilt the scales.

A file photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi paying tributes to Shivaji statue | Source: Reuters
In Maharashtra, Shivaji is omnipresent and elections can be won by invoking his name over and over again. You read about him in the textbooks and grow up dreaming of replicating his feats of valour, see images of his likeness on all the zunka bhakar shops, there is a statue near the Gateway to India, the main railway station which was earlier known as Victoria Terminus has been named after him, the airports are named after him too. He is the pride of the Marathas, the one who started it all. He took on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, when the Mughals were at the height of their powers, and came out on top.

Shiv Sena, though, have simply chosen to forget that while Shivaji fought against the Muslim leaders of his time, he was also one of few rulers who practiced true religious tolerance. Christians, Muslims, South Indians or even Biharis were not persecuted by him but the less said about the Shiv Sainiks the better.

A file photo of current Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray | Source: PTI
So do we really need a statue to remind us of his feats or do we need a statue to remind us of the follies of the politicians?

The truth of the matter is that one hopes without THE Shivaji statue, India will cease to exist. Other than that, there is no reason to go ahead with something that is such a clear criminal waste of money.

It really is a shame that no one in the government felt that money could have been put to better use -- perhaps it could have saved some lives; perhaps it could have given someone an education; perhaps it could have made Mumbai cleaner; perhaps it could have improved the quality of life. Instead, we have a statue that will bear mute witness to a city in decline.

In the near future, maybe the monstrous cost will eventually become a forgotten footnote but the sheer idiocy of it never will. And that dear PM Modi, will be this statues true legacy.



https://www.scoopwhoop.com/Without-...ia-will-cease-to-exist/?ref=latest#.jf584m3em

 

[Jackdaws]

I wonder what the obsession is with the statues. And why in the middle of the sea? Why not in an open space - say between Mumbai and Pune en route on the Expressway - so it can be a tourist attraction all year round and the costs would reduce substantially?

And why Bombay? Pune was the seat of the Maratha Empire and is the cultural capital of Maharashtra - Bombay is pretty much an English creation - quite apparent from the architecture. There is really no logic.

 

[Loafer]

This is a great decision.

It will break even soon.

 

[TISSOT]

How else do we pay for it?

Let the people who support this put the money where their mouth is.

Its easy to spend someone else's money, but when it comes to spending you own, people will think twice.

Let the GoM have a fund raiser for this statute and initiate a public private partnership with all those who think it will break even and "earn" money.

Let it be a Maharashtra mission or even a pan India mission. Let them raise the money by inspiring people to pay for it.

 

[925boy]

Its more then they are spending on chabahar . either wrong priorities or they them self knows that chabahar is a lost cause .

u WISH it was a lost cause. offcourse its not going to be. China knows terrorism can make CPEC a lost cause though.

 

[asad71]

And while half of you have to poop in the open!?!

 

[padamchen]

Let the people who support this put the money where their mouth is.

Its easy to spend someone else's money, but when it comes to spending you own, people will think twice.

Let the GoM have a fund raiser for this statute and initiate a public private partnership with all those who think it will break even and "earn" money.

Let it be a Maharashtra mission or even a pan India mission. Let them raise the money by inspiring people to pay for it.

Do you say the same thing when the government builds a flyover or a highway or a hospital or a school?

The government is an elected government. It already has the mandate of the people. It does not need to have a poll to act. It represents the people.

And the people have already contributed.

It's called Taxes. Which is what governments around the world use to spend on public works.

They don't go around with a collection box asking for chanda as being suggested.

 

[JOEY TRIBIANI]

No dude, Maharashtra is one of the states of the Union of Indian, has a much bigger GDP than that of Pakistan, whose capital is Mumbai, where the statue is be built. Mumbai, Maharashtra's capital produces more tax revenue, than that of entire Pakistan. I just mentioned Maharashtra, because u mentioned Chabahar port. Chabahar port is funded by the Central Govt, while the statue is funded by the state Govt. Hope this clears your doubt.

One question sirjee if you are that rich then why did you

u WISH it was a lost cause. offcourse its not going to be. China knows terrorism can make CPEC a lost cause though.

Ok ..tag me when cgabahar got 100% operational .

 

[somebozo]

is this how modi decided to fight back poverty? by building statues?

Do you say the same thing when the government builds a flyover or a highway or a hospital or a school?

The government is an elected government. It already has the mandate of the people. It does not need to have a poll to act. It represents the people.

And the people have already contributed.

It's called Taxes. Which is what governments around the world use to spend on public works.

They don't go around with a collection box asking for chanda as being suggested.

The patriotism is astounding...!

 

[SarthakGanguly]

I did not like the statue building thing initially. Simply because they are prone to destruction by Islamists. A statue like this will have a security detail to keep it standing. (Case in point - Sri Buddha Statues in Bodhgaya for example) More money.

Good thing is that many artisans will get jobs. Pride in one's self can be instated. No doubt. Imagine what an American feels when he sees the Statue of Liberty on the skyline while returning from Europe. Symbols have great power. Take Taj for instance - in games, movies and even **** - Taj means India.

Kudos to the Maharashtra people for finally gathering the courage to build his statue almost 250 years after he fought and ruled.

i never said only religious ambition. Using patriotism card too. and unnecessary actions to show that how great work they have done. even though many bjp members are using this religion card.
demonetization was just to show sincerity towards anti corruption drive. Even without planning for consequences or for the problems the people could face.
yesterday he said that talking against demonetization is like pakistan army giving cover fire to Pakistan. It clearly shows he is playing wrong politics. It proves my point that he is taking india toward the point where no one would be allowed to question BJP policies.



During vajpayee time there was 1 year old stand off on border but still i think it was vajpayee who could have only solved Indo pak problems. He never did dirty politics. His legacy goes back to the time when even i was not born.

Let's face it. You are opposing/ridiculing the statue because of the same reason practicing Hindus are supporting it. Shivaji is a polarizing figure for Muslims and non Muslims because he fought AND defeated Muslim emperors in battle.

 

[padamchen]

is this how modi decided to fight back poverty? by building statues?

The patriotism is astounding...!

The statue is a symbol of our pride, our history. It commemorates a great Indian warrior and all the Indians who fought by his side. It instils in us the immense pride that we were along with the European hordes responsible for bringing to a grinding halt the advance of militant expansionist imperial Islam. A man because of whom we turned the tide and preserved our ancestral culture and faith of thousands of years. It is a symbol. And it is essential that it go up. And it will go up. Does it really matter if a Pakistani thinks it's a waste? It will go up faster and taller the more you guys show that it itches you. Cheers and a very Merry Christmas!