VALPOI
Shivjayanti Utsav Committee said it wants peace in Valpoi, even as it went on to assert that it is not supporting
Saturday’s (March 3) bandh in the town.
Secretary of Shivjayanti Utsav Committee Uday Sawant rubbished the claim made by a group of Shiv premis (lovers) of there being involvement of the committee in removing Shivaji’s statue from Hathwada Junction. It is solely the government administration’s decision to remove the statue, he stated.
Addressing a press conference, member of the committee Vinod Shinde said the bandh call was given by a few people. “We want to maintain peace and communal harmony in Valpoi. “While planning to install Shivaji’s statue in VMC garden, we had taken members of all communities into confidence and had taken a unanimous decision. A suggestion was made there should be only one statue in the VMC garden and remove the one placed at Hathwada Junction. Our committee decided not to interfere over the removal of the Hathwada statue and let the administration do its job,” Shinde said.
ZP member Fati Gaonkar said the statue of Shivaji in the VMC garden belongs to everyone. “I request the Shiv premis to maintain peace and communal harmony in Sattari taluka,” he added.
