Shivaji Maharaj is torchbearer of courage, bravery & good governance: Prime Minister Modi

24 December, Mumbai

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on an island off the Mumbai coast this afternoon. He also performed Jal pujan for the grand memorial of 17th century Maratha king, at Arabian Sea in Mumbai.

Modi immersed the soil and water collected from various forts and rivers across Maharashtra to mark the bhoomipujan of the memorial.

Governor of Maharashtra Vidyasagar Rao, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray and Shivaji Maharaj’s descendants Udayanraje Bhosle and Sambhajiraje Bhosle were present on the occasion.

The memorial will be 192-metre high and will cost 3600 crore rupees. The first phase of the memorial will be completed by 2019 and the entire memorial by 2021.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stones for two Mumbai Metro projects, the Elevated Railway Corridors Project and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project. He will also address a public rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai this evening. Modi will then leave for Pune, where he will lay the foundation stone for the Pune Metro Rail project.