In our childhood, we used to play a game called "statue statue." The same game is being played out across India now by our rulers, wasting thousands of crores of taxpayers' money which could have been put to far better use. Statues are being put up left, right, and centre to purported 'heroes' no one has ever heard of. This is the longest-running scam to make money by the government.
Recently, the collapse of a Shivaji statue inaugurated by our Vishwaguru was in the news. The opposition smelt an opportunity and wasted no time in turning up the heat on the government. The shameless Maharashtra government has squarely placed the blame on the Indian Navy for the fiasco. It turns out that the Directorate of Art had only given permission for a 6' high statue, but mysteriously, the size ballooned to 35' on completion.
All agencies involved shunned accountability for this patently illegal act. I am sure the contractor must have made tonnes of money over and above the agreed amount by raising bills for 'extra items.' It is inconceivable to believe that the Navy or the PWD had no knowledge of the proceedings. The fact of the matter is that the statue was erected hurriedly, flouting all engineering norms, so that the camera-seeking PM could inaugurate it on Navy Day.
In damage control mode, which involves a further waste of public funds, the Maharashtra Deputy CM has announced that another statue 100' high would be erected to replace the earlier one. They might even revive the proposal to erect a Shivaji statue off the coast of Mumbai, for which Rs 3,600 crores was budgeted five years ago and whose 'foundation' was laid with much fanfare by Modi. Why not put up a university or hospital with that kind of money? Shame on these rapacious politicians who don't blink an eye while criminally flushing citizens' money down the drain.
