An artist's impression of the open-air museum
Apart from being a part of the state's first museum dedicated to the Maratha warrior king along the newly constructed Sahar elevated road, the six-metre-tall, bronze statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji would also act as a tourist attraction. The open-air museum where the statue would be installed is walking distance away from Terminal 2 (T2) of the international airport.
Pune-based artist Sharad Kapuskar is sculpting the statue. When contacted, Kapuskar refused to comment stating his contract with Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL) does not allow him to disclose details of the statue to the media.
An MIAL official requesting anonymity said, "Though the management wants to get the statue at the earliest, it will take at least three months for the sculpture to get ready. There is no chance of it getting installed any sooner." The MIAL is the authority that is responsible for complete development of the land and the museum.
Commenting on the issue, another MIAL official said, "We will ensure that the statue poses no problem to the air funnel. Also, there is a possibility that a pit will be dug in which the statue will be placed so that it's height does not bother flight operations.
The museum will be built on a 5,000-sq m plot and will display objects and scriptures related to Shivaji Maharaj, and history related to him." However, the exact date of inauguration of the museum remains unknown.