BHOPAL: Gusty winds led to the collapse of the six idols installed in Ujjain’s Mahakal Lok corridor, Madhya Pradesh urban development minister Bhupender Singh said on Tuesday rejecting a barrage of criticism from the Congress over the incident.
On Sunday, six out of seven idols of `Saptarishis’ (seven sages) installed in the Mahakal Lok corridor, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the premises of Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain in October 2022, fell from the pedestals due to strong wind.
The Congress accused the state government of corruption in the installation of idols in October 2022 and demanded a judicial probe into the Ujjain incident, saying “even gods and temples are not spared” in Madhya Pradesh Congress in-charge for Madhya Pradesh JP Aggarwal said the incident exposed corruption in the state and recalled that the previous BJP government in Karnataka was dubbed as one of “40 per cent commission”,
At a Press conference on Tuesday, Bhupender Singh said, “The statues, each 11 feet tall and 300 kg, were made up of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). The strong winds of 55 km/hour led the statutes to fall from the pedestals. The statues are being installed again with the help of cranes.”
Singh also accused the then Congress-led state government for going with FRP to make the statutes.
“The then Congress-led state government had taken the decision to install the FRP’s 100 statues of ₹7.75 crore in March 2019 but payment was made in March 31, 2021. As it was a priority project, so we didn’t make any changes in the work order,” he added.
State Congress spokesperson K K Mishra said a complaint was filed in 2022 alleging use of substandard material in.
“Lokayukta director general started the probe in the matter and also served notices to 15 officers but he was transferred from Lokayukta. Now, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who didn’t leave any stone unturned to take the credit of construction of Mahakal Lok, should take action against the corrupt officers or order a high-level probe,” Mishra said.
