The government of the western Indian state of Maharashtra said it plans to build a statue of warrior-King Shivaji in the Arabian sea off the Mumbai coast.

A proposal to erect the statue was recently approved by the state cabinet which will allocate Rs 1 billion (US$16.05 million) towards the project, Press Trust of India ( PTI ) reported.

Sources said the statue will be built in a 16-hectare bedrock in the sea.

Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said early this week that the statue would become the world’s tallest statue once completed, but refused to specify its height.

“The site where the statue is located is 1.2km from Raj Bhawan, 3.6km from Girgaum and 2.6km from Nariman Point,” he said.

“International bids have been invited. A concept plan has been prepared. We have asked the Ministry of Environment and Forest to give exemption as the site is under the CRZ-4 (no constructions allowed) category,” he said.

The statue will reportedly be higher than the proposed 182-metre high Sardar Vallabhai Patel statue in Gujarat.

- Bernama