Controversial FRP statue of Tantya Mama replaced in Khargone

Khargone: The controversial fibre-reinforced plastic (FRP) statue of tribal freedom fighter Tantya Bhil was replaced on Wednesday with a metal statue at Bistan Road tri-junction.A team from Khargone municipality installed a 570-kg metal statue in place of the earlier FRP structure. Chief municipal officer Kamla Kaul told TOI that the new statue, valued at around Rs 10 lakh, was installed in accordance with the approved tender specifications. She said that the previously installed FRP statue was donated by the former contractor following the controversy and is currently kept safely at the municipal office.The decision to install a metal statue had been taken during the president-in-council meeting on Sept 24 last year but on Nov 15, (Tribal Pride Day), a fibre statue was installed instead, allegedly in violation of prescribed standards, and was inaugurated with much fanfare by public representatives and officials.The issue sparked widespread controversy after it came to light, drawing strong protests from various social organisations and the opposition Congress. An inquiry revealed serious negligence by engineers during the physical verification of the statue, leading to action against two officials and blacklisting of the contractor.