Overview
- Local residents filmed the statue visibly swaying in strong winds, and a formal complaint to Lake Town police on Monday prompted an immediate safety inspection.
- PWD engineers first identified loose screws in the statue’s iron framework and then reported broader structural deficiencies and an off-centre centre of gravity that raised collapse risk.
- Authorities moved from emergency measures—ropes, harnesses and barricades—to a planned removal, asking NHAI and RVNL to erect temporary supports before dismantling begins.
- Engineers propose stabilising the figure with heavy cables, using a 40-tonne crane to cut and lift the fibreglass-and-iron statue in one piece, a process complicated by a nearby subway and heavy VIP Road traffic.
- The case has reopened questions about permissions and land jurisdiction, links to former minister Sujit Bose and a Calcutta High Court report request, and officials cite the approaching monsoon as a reason to speed action.