· ‘Statue of Unity’ is twice the size of Statue of Liberty in New York
· ‘Ekta Yatra’ to be undertaken in 10,000 villages of Gujarat district in October and November to commemorate the upcoming inauguration of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s statue
Bhubaneswar: In a press conference arranged in the temple city of Odisha today, Hon’ble Minister of State of Gujarat, Labour and Employment, Disaster Management, Pilgrimage Development, Shri Dilipkumar Thakor, Hon’ble MLA, Dandak, Shri Bharatsinh Dabhi, Smt. Aradhana Sahu, Chief Conservator, Vadodara and Rajkot Municipal Commissioner and Convenor of this ‘Ekta Yatra’ Shri Banchhanidhi Pani, IAS informed that to commemorate the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and on the eve of Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebration, the Hon’ble PM of India Shri Narendra Modi will unveil as well as inaugurate the world’s tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel a symbol of national unity on 31st October 2018 at Gujarat.
This project was announced by Shri Modi earlier in 2013 when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. The Rs. 29.9 billion (430 million USD) ‘Statue of Unity’ overlooking the isolated Sardar Sarovar Dam is a pet project of Shri Modi. He has predicted it will attract ‘hordes’ of tourists, as the Statue of Liberty does in New York. This statue will surely trespass the currently world’s tallest statue of the Spring Temple Buddha in China at 128 m (420 ft) high. The iron used for the foundation of this statue was collected from across the country through ‘Loha’ campaign. After completion, the statue will generate approximately 15,000 direct jobs for tribal people every year.
The Statue of Unity conveys some historical facts. It is so called because it will be a symbol of the country’s unity and integrity. The 182 metre high (600 ft) Statue of Unity will be twice the size of New York’s Statue of Liberty. The statue is located some 200 km (125 miles) from the state’s main city, Ahmedabad. An army of 2,500 workers are tirelessly working round the clock to put 5,000 squares of bronze on the figure of Patel so it can be ready for inauguration on October 31 by PM Narendra Modi. A 3.5 Km highway will be built to connect the Statue of Unity in Sadhu Island to Kevadia town in Gujarat. The Statue of Unity will have a viewing gallery at a height of 153m, which can accommodate up to 200 visitors at go, and will offer an expansive view of the dam and its environs.
The Statue of Unity will be able to withstand wind velocity up to 60 m/sec, vibration and earthquake. 22,500 MT (2,25,00,000 Kg) of cement has been used to build this tallest ever statue. The construction of the statue is fixed at 42 months. No escalation of labour, fuel and the material is allowed. The Statue of Unity project will also include a unique museum and audio-visual department depicting the life and times of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The statue and surrounding area will be accessed by special boats to avoid vehicular traffic and pollution.
In an another move, the Government of Gujarat has announced that an ‘Ekta Yatra’ would be undertaken in 10,000 villages throughout the state in October and November to commemorate the upcoming inauguration of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s statue. Shri Sardar Patel’s life would also be organized as a part of the yatra. Videos about Sardar Patel’s life and about the Statue of Unity project would be shown to the masses during the yatra. This statue will encore the viability of unity, integrity among the citizens of the country. For this purpose, Gujarat government has taken up a drive by way of press conferences for the awareness of public so that more number of people take visit of ‘Statue of Unity.’
In view of the above, a team of Hon’ble MPs and MLAs of Gujarat State along with other senior officials, visited Bhubaneswar (Odisha) from 13th October to 15th October for giving invitation to Hon’ble Governor and Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha to pay a visit to the project site and to create awareness among the public of Odisha for visiting the state through publicity campaign. In this regard the Gujarat state government hopes everyone’s help and support for the smooth management of this inaugural ceremony.
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