The construction of proposed “Statue of Unity”, a monument of Sardar Patel, is expected to commence in the beginning of 2014. Gujarat government intends to construct this tallest statue in the world that would surpass the famous Statue of Liberty in the US.
Sources said that it will take at least four years to build this statue at Kevadia Colony, facing the Narmada Dam. The height of the statue will be 182 metres and the entire project will cost Rs.2,000 crore. The global tender for building the structure is expected to be floated by the end of July. All the clearances like those from the Union environment ministry and from civil aviation ministry have been taken.
The government was not averse to seeking financial support from the public for the project as this would lead to maximum involvement of the masses in the project. “There is a view that an online request for donations for the statue be made. This would help turn the project into a mass exercise,” said an official.
Asked about the potential of the project to become a political issue on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls next year, the official said, “Even if it becomes a political issue in the beginning, the project will be eventually a national monument. Even Statue of Liberty had become a contentious political issue when it was erected but ultimately it became a monument with global recognition.”
BJP workers plan to collect pieces of iron from peasants in 7.5 lakh villages across the country for building the statue. The iron will have to be rolled into steel which will be used along with reinforced cement concrete to build the statue that will have a final brass coating.
Sources said that there will be a lift inside the structure that will take people to a height of about 150 metres to provide them with a breathtaking view of the Narmada dam.
Sources said that it will take at least four years to build this statue at Kevadia Colony, facing the Narmada Dam. The height of the statue will be 182 metres and the entire project will cost Rs.2,000 crore. The global tender for building the structure is expected to be floated by the end of July. All the clearances like those from the Union environment ministry and from civil aviation ministry have been taken.
The government was not averse to seeking financial support from the public for the project as this would lead to maximum involvement of the masses in the project. “There is a view that an online request for donations for the statue be made. This would help turn the project into a mass exercise,” said an official.
Asked about the potential of the project to become a political issue on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls next year, the official said, “Even if it becomes a political issue in the beginning, the project will be eventually a national monument. Even Statue of Liberty had become a contentious political issue when it was erected but ultimately it became a monument with global recognition.”
BJP workers plan to collect pieces of iron from peasants in 7.5 lakh villages across the country for building the statue. The iron will have to be rolled into steel which will be used along with reinforced cement concrete to build the statue that will have a final brass coating.
Sources said that there will be a lift inside the structure that will take people to a height of about 150 metres to provide them with a breathtaking view of the Narmada dam.
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