64-ft Messi statue to lie in warehouse till final shift

Kolkata: The giant and “unstable” 64-feet statue of Lionel Messi at Lake Town was uprooted using a crane, laid down on a trailer and was carried to a PWD warehouse in Baguiati in a five-hour effort, where officials said it will stay outside public view till authorities decide where it will be relocated. Sources hinted it may be later installed at Eco Park or Rabindra Sarobar.

The decision to dismantle the statue was taken last week after locals filed a police complaint claiming the statue was swaying in strong winds. During last Friday’s squall, authorities were found reinforcing the statue with more ropes to ensure it doesn't topple, leading to an accident.

“The statue will currently stay at a field inside the PWD warehouse in Baguiati in safe custody. Once the govt decides where it will be installed, we will shift it and place it there,” said a senior PWD official overseeing the operation since early on Monday.

The giant statue – a 44-feet fibreglass structure supported by an iron framework that rests on a 20-feet concrete plinth – was inaugurated by Messi on Dec 13 last year during his GOAT India Tour. The statue was commissioned by Sreebhumi Sporting Club, patronised by former Trinamool Congress fire minister Sujit Bose, who was arrested a day after TMC was voted out of power.

The installation attracted criticism soon after its unveiling. Responding to the controversy, sculptor Monti Pal said on Monday that the former minister Bose had approved the design after inspecting the fibre model, and Messi himself had appreciated the work. Pal also argued that the statue required a greater viewing distance than what was available at the Lake Town Clock Tower crossing.

“Many had criticised the structure as being disproportionate. All it required was a larger viewing distance,” he said.

He, however, agreed that the statue did sway since inception but added it was never unsafe. “Since the statue is made of fibreglass and stands on two legs, it was built in a manner that it would sway to balance against strong winds and earthquake. It is like a tree that may bend but will not get uprooted just like that. But since the authorities believed it was unsafe, we helped them in dismantling it,” said Pal.

According to PWD sources, a review led to the decision to remove the statue without causing any damage. Special precautions were taken to ensure the structure remained intact. Ropes were secured around the statue from multiple sides, and bamboo scaffolding was erected around it.

On Monday morning, workers built a bamboo tower alongside the statue and brought in a hydraulic crane. After five hours of work, the fibre structure was detached from its pedestal and carefully lowered onto a trailer. Sources said the statue was fixed to the base platform with screws, which were removed before the crane lifted it down.

While it was being carried away, hundreds of people gathered around the trailer to take selfies with the fallen statue.