INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue of Unity is built at a cost of Rs
2,389 crore, the statue depicts Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Home Minister, wearing a traditional dhoti and shawl, towering over
Iron was collected from all over the country for the statue of Sardar Patel, also known as the Iron Man of India
At 182-metre, the statue is touted as the world's tallest - it is 177 feet higher than China's Spring Temple Buddha, currently the world's
tallest statue.The statue has been designed by Padma Bhushan-winning sculptor Ram V Sutar and has been built by Larsen and Toubro and the
state-run Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd
It took about 250 engineers and 3,400 labourers to construct the statue in 33 months.The statue will have a viewing gallery at the height of
193 metres from the sea level which can accommodate 200 visitors at a time
This gallery, at 153 metres height, will offer a view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam, its reservoir, and the Satpura and Vindhya mountain ranges
According to Gujarat government officials, the unveiling of the Statue of Unity event has been planned on the scale of the Republic Day
According to information, Prime Minister Modi and other leaders will pour soil and water of the Narmada into an urn, and Ganesh mantra,
Narmada mantra and Swasti vanchan will be chanted during the event.PM Modi's schedule at the event9:00 am: Arrival at Kevadia9:10 am: Visit
the museum and exhibitionThe statue will have a museum on the life of Sardar Patel at the base, and two high speed lifts will take people to
the viewers' gallery, from where they can see beyond the Narmada Dam.Once completed, around 15,000 tourists are likely to visit the statue
every day, officials said.The museum will have 40,000 documents, 2,000 photographs and a research centre dedicated to Sardar Patel's
life.Major facts on Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel:Kheda Satyagraha and Bardoli Satyagrah, both of which times the British bowed downElected as
Ahmedabad's municipal president in 1924 and 1928Elected President of the Indian National Congress in 1931Independent India's first Deputy
Prime Minister and Home Minister and IB MinisterThe Architect of United India post independencePosthumously, conferred with Bharat Ratna in
1991Unveiling of Statue of Unity a "BJP event": Gujarat CongressThe Gujarat Congress Tuesday has dubbed the event as a "BJP programme"
The main opposition party said none of its leaders will take part in the statue dedication ceremony.Gujarat Congress said it has organised
its own event to mark the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel."We have organised our own programme to mark the birth anniversary
We will have a lecture programme, which will be delivered by former Bhavnagar University vice chancellor Vidyut Joshi.A viewing gallery has
tent city for tourists near the statue and a museum dedicated to the life and times of Patel are some of the major attractions near the
Statue of Unity.Rajnath Singh flags off "Run for Unity" event in DelhiVillagers to protest PM's visitLocal villagers have threatened protest
over the inauguration of the statue
On Monday, the headmen of 22 villages near the Sardar Sarovar Dam wrote an open letter to PM Modi stating that villagers would not welcome
him at the inauguration."These forests, rivers, waterfalls, land and agriculture supported us for generations
But, everything is being destroyed now and celebrations are also planned
Don't you think its akin to celebrating someone's death We feel so," the letter, having common content and signed by sarpanchas of 22
villages, stated.They alleged that people's hard-earned money is being wasted on projects like Statue of Unity though several villages of
the area are still deprived of basic facilities like schools, hospitals and drinking water.Built in less than five years, the Statue of
Unity is the world's tallest, grandest and giant statue
It is a tribute to Sardar Patel as he united all diverse 562 princely states to build one great Republic of India.A 30 feet tall replica of
the Statue of Unity was inaugurated at Baben village in Bardoli, Gujarat in 2015
The statue is being projected by the BJP as a symbol of unity and as a message that the Congress underplayed the contribution of Sardar
Patel towards the country in favour of the Nehru-Gandhi family
The Prime Minister will unveil the Statue of Unity on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel at Sadhu Bet, near Narmada Dam.
