Rs 3,000 crores, 3,500 laborers, 250 architects, four years: The world’s tallest monument stands on Indian soil. It will be unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31.
Vadodara: The Statue of Unity in memory of Indian freedom fighter Vallabhai Patel is soon to be unveiled in Vadodara, Gujarat. With a planned height of 182 meters (597 ft), the structure will occupy over 20,000 square meters, which would be the tallest statue in the world with twice the height of the Statue of Liberty.
The Patel statue will be surrounded by a 12 sq km artificial lake in River Island called Sadhu Bet near Vadodara in Gujarat. The monument, which is also going to draw in tourists, has a viewing gallery at a height of around 500 ft and it will provide visitors a spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and its surrounding areas.
A combination of concrete and steel is used as a skeleton for the massive statue and the exterior is covered with bronze panels. More than 5,000 bronze panels were designed under the supervision of artist Ram Sutar, which were customised in the worksite itself.
The steel framework for India’s ‘Ironman’ statue is done by Malaysia-based company named Eversendai, which has built Burj Al Arab and Burj Khalifa – Dubai’s famous skyscrapers.
The statue is supposed to be introduced to the public on October 31 on the event of the 143rd birth commemoration of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel memorial in Narmada district. Narendra Modi in 2013 laid the foundation stone for the project with an estimated cost of about Rs 3,001 crore by the Indian government. Later Larsen & Toubro company took over the contract on the lowest bid of Rs 2,989 crore ($ 420 million) for the design, construction, and maintenance of the statue.
The project also proposes the foundation of a world-class infrastructure that meets global standards in respect of cleanliness, security, cafeteria, food court, and other facilities. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani is also looking into the progress of other amenities like boating, a valley of flowers and tourism infrastructure that will be added up really soon to the site.
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