Team Herald

PONDA: A one-foot tall Shivaji statue was erected on a one-metre height concrete pedestal by an unknown person on the intervening night of February 19 and 20, at Tisk Usgao junction. 

The incident came to light on Tuesday today morning and no one, including local shop owners, was to tell who had erected the statue. Tisk is a busy junction as three major roads converge at that point.

 Usgao Sarpanch Ankita Gaude said she was not aware who had erected this statue there. “When I came here today, I noticed it. The panchayat had not given any NOC to erect the statue. If people want the statue, then, it can be erected. But they should obtain NOC from Panchayat, PWD and other departments and the place should be suitable for erecting the statue,” she said.

Meanwhile, when contacted Naresh Naik, the president of Tisk Usgao Sarvajanik Shiv Jayanthi festival committee which celebrated its tenth anniversary on Monday, he said he had no idea who had erected the statue.

Late evening on Tuesday Usgao villagers and Ganesh festival committee members held meeting to discuss the erection of the statue at the junction, where it was decided not to remove it. In fact, the members decided to install a life size statue in standing position at the same place. 

A committee was also formed under Naresh Naik as chairmanship to obtain permissions from PWD and other departments to install a statue of Shivaji permanently at the place.