Modi plans Statue of Unity,twice as high as Statue of Liberty

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today announced his government’s plan to build a Statue of Unity,a 182-metre high statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel “two times taller than the Statue of Liberty and easily the world’s tallest statue”. Modi’s announcement came on the eve of his completion of nine years as Chief Minister on October 9. A separate society formed under his chairmanship will monitor implementation of the idea,according to the BJP’s official project brochure. It will be in the nature of a private-public partnership and will involve inviting suggestions from experts across the world.

To be located on Sadhu Bet in river Narmada,the memorial will be “the tallest beyond comparison,reminding every onlooker not only of the freedom struggle but of the story of a united India. It will be a constant inspiration towards fulfilling the dreams of suraaj (good governance),” said Modi. The proposed statue will be accessed by boat and visitors will be able to climb to the top in a lift to enjoy a panoramic view of the Sardar Sarovar dam and the surrounding hilly areas. Modi said the idea was to immortalise Patel’s contribution as the architect of modern and united India,earlier divided into over 500 princely states. Thanking people of Gujarat and the country for the tenure of his government,he said the first decade of the 21st Century marked the development of Gujarat and this was his way of commemorating it.

He said the Statue of Unity would be one of a series of monuments to “perpetuate the contribution of great personalities”,others being the Mahatma Mandir in Gandhinagar,Shyamji Krishna Verma memorial in Kutch and the Buddha relics as well as the international conference on Buddhism. He said the Statue of Unity complex would also present the history of the past 90 years through the use of modern technology.

The memorial would facilitate research in issues dear to Patel like good governance,agriculture technology and development for the tribal population,Modi said. It will be completed in about three years,excluding the time taken up by feasibility studies and searching for experts. He said the cost would depend on the type of material to be used as suggested by experts.