Vallabhbhai Patel's statue one of the fastest structures ever built
What's the story
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's 'Statue of Unity' in Gujarat is one of the fastest structures to be constructed. It is being built at 4.5m per week; that's faster than 3.18m per week, the rate at which world's tallest building Burj Khalifa was built. The 182m sculpture would be twice as tall as America's Statue of Liberty, the world's tallest figurine. Find out more about it.
Do you know?
Sardar Patel statute to cost Rs. 3,000 crore
The entire Statue of Unity structure, being built by L&T, will be 248-meter tall. As of September 17, 161.5 meters of it have been constructed. The Rs. 3,000 crore project is expected to be completed by October'18. Its bronze cladding will be imported from China.
About
Started in 2010, the project became 'national' only in 2014
Being built on the Sadhu Bet island near Vadodara's Sardar Sarovar Dam, the Statue of Unity project was launched by Narendra Modi, the then chief minister of Gujarat, in October 2010. It was declared a 'national project' only in 2014 after Modi became the Prime Minister of India. Rs. 200 crore were then allocated by the central government for initial construction.
Advantages
Project would boost tourism and provide employment to thousands: Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sadhu Bet on Sunday to review the progress of the statue's construction. During his rally in Dabhoi later, Modi said the Statue of Unity was a lot more than a way to pay homage to the Iron Man. He said it would boost tourism in central Gujarat and provide employment to thousands of people.
Controversies
The 'not so swadeshi' statue faced flak over different issues
The statue will have taken eight years to build if it gets completed in October 2018. Modi has faced sharp criticism owing to the many delays in the completion of the project. The project has also received flak for importing bronze cladding from China. Ex-Congress leader Shankersinh Vaghela said BJP promoted 'Make In India' but was getting the Sardar Patel statue 'Made in China'.
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Statue of Unity not the only one: Other high-profile projects
In 2016, the Maharashtra government began work on a Rs. 3,600 crore statue of Maratha warrior Shivaji. BJP's Telangana president K Laxman recently promised a 'statue of liberation' in Hyderabad to highlight the struggles of those who waged war against the Nizam.