A 45-foot statue of Argentine football icon Lionel Messi, installed at Lake Town near the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) airport, was dismantled by the state government on Monday over safety concerns.Public Works Department (PWD) officials dismantle the 45 foot statue of iconic football player Lionel Messi from Lake Town over concerns that it may fall during gutsy winds (HT Photo/Samir Jana)The fibre-glass statue, which was virtually unveiled in December 2025 by Messi at the beginning of his India tour, was structurally unsafe, officials aware of the development said.The entire structure, including the plinth, stood at 70 feet and depicted Messi holding the FIFA World Cup trophy.The statue was installed by the Sree Bhumi Sporting Club. The club’s president and former Trinamool Congress legislator Sujit Bose was recently arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with money laundering charges linked to irregularities in recruitment in municipal bodies.Sharmila Guha, a local resident, said the statue had to be tied with ropes from eight sides so that it wouldn’t get uprooted during a recent storm.“Local residents had complained that the statue was swaying when there were gusty winds. Last week, ropes were tied to secure it. Engineers of the state public works department had also inspected it. It had become structurally unsafe. People were apprehending that it could collapse if there are strong winds during thunderstorms. On Monday the fibre-glass statue was dismantled,” said a PWD official.The statue has been moved to the PWD office in Bidhannagar. A senior official said a decision is yet to be taken on whether it would be relocated.Messi’s much-anticipated event ended in chaos last December. It was a part of the “GOAT (greatest of all time) tour” comprising a series of promotional events covering Kolkata, Hyderabad, Mumbai and Delhi.