Overview
- A Rs 9.90 lakh municipal tender required a marble or metal statue, but a nine-foot fibreglass structure was installed at Khargone’s Bistan Naka.
- Municipal records show the contract went to Pinak Trading Company, and the statue was unveiled on November 15, 2025 by MLA Balkrishna Patidar and council president Chhaya Joshi.
- Chief Municipal Officer Kamala Kol acknowledged the mismatch, said the contractor submitted a written apology, and noted a departmental inquiry with an eight-day timeline.
- Municipal president Chhaya Joshi said the contractor has been blacklisted and that a decision has been taken to install a new statue.
- District Congress leaders filed a complaint alleging tender violations, misuse of funds, and insult to tribal sentiment, highlighting the issue’s sensitivity in a state with a large tribal electorate.