The Statue of Unity is an iconic 182 metre tall statue planned to be built in remembrance of the Iron man of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, in the Narmada district of Gujarat, at the Sadhu-Bet Island. It will be the tallest statue in the world, double the height of the Statue of Liberty in the USA and five times taller than the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The planning of this project started in 2010 and it was made public in October 2010. A consortium of Turner Construction, Michael Graves and Associates and Meinhardt Group will supervise the project. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 2000 crores and the project will be completed in 4 years.
The project has run into controversy surrounding the land acquisition for the project with the locals claiming the land around Sadhu-Bet is a religious site. Environmentalists also claimed that the project planners never sought for any environmental clearance before starting the construction. The project has also been mocked for costing over 4 times the amount of the Mars Orbiter Mission.
Looking on the bright side, the project site will be equipped with modern infrastructure to provide a better standard of living locals and better connectivity for visitors such as such as expressways, improved rail system and helipads. By means of scientific area planning, the region will be dotted with clean industries mainly research facilities for governance and agricultural development and educational institutions.
Livelihood Generation, Tribal Development, Research & Education, Social Infrastructure, Employment Generation and Environment Protection are the underlying themes and pillars of the monument.
Ferry services will lead to the statue housing a museum and audio visual gallery depicting the memoir of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel; a laser, light and sound show on the efforts of Unification of India; state-of-the-art aquarium and the world’s fastest elevator to an observation deck for a panoramic view of the Satpuda and Vindhyachal ranges, Sardar Sarovar Reservor and Garudeshwar Reservoir. The addition of restaurants and recreational spots will make the area an attractive tourist spot.
These industrial, recreational and entertainment amenities will develop the economy of the region by providing traction to the tourism industry and thus provide livelihood to a lot of people.
The whole project is a fitting tribute to the man who almost created India by uniting more than 550 princely states, created all the Indian services and promoted research in Agriculture.
