[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_blend_mode="none" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" layout="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""] A tributary endeavour to the Iron Man of India, the Statue of Unity is an iconic 182-metre-tall statue situated on the isle of Sadhu-Bet. Located between the Mountain Ranges of Vindhyachal and Satpuda, this monument has many other attractive tourist spots in its proximity such as the Valley of Flowers, the Shoolpaneshwar Sanctuary and sacred temple, the Sardar Sarovar Dam and its water dykes, the scenic Zarvani Falls and majestic palaces of Rajpipla. The grand monument along with a picturesque backdrop makes it an ideal destination for eco-tourism. The Government of Gujarat had assigned the task of constructing the Statue of Unity to the ‘Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust’ (SVPRET), chaired by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Gujarat. SVPRET has executed the project and undertaken all activities related to the construction of Statue of Unity through the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL). A high-power Governing Body, headed by the Chief Minister of Gujarat and Executive Committee, headed by the Chief Secretary, Govt. of Gujarat respectively and comprising of other senior Secretaries, take care of various project related decisions. SVPRET had appointed a consortium comprising Turner Project Management India Private Limited, Meinhardt India Private Limited and Michael Graves & Associates Inc., as PMC (Project Management Consultant). Many of the consortium members have been involved in developing some of the world’s tallest structures, including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. SSNNL management team & its engineers have built one of the tallest concrete gravity dams in the world and an irrigation system, which is one of the top irrigation networks of the world. India’s largest engineering and construction company Larsen & Toubro was assigned the responsibility for designing, engineering, procurement, construction, operation and maintenance of the project. Noted sculptor Ram V. Sutar, a Padma Bhushan Awardee, who has created over 40 monumental sculptures over the past 40 years was designated as the sculptor for the Statue of Unity. A countrywide program which covered several villages for ‘Loha Campaign’ were conducted during the year 2013-14. A total of 169,078 used farm tools and soil samples were collected from farmers across the country as their voluntary contribution to the iconic project. In this `Loha Campaign’ which is believed to be one of the largest social mobilization drives in the world, 134.25 metric tonnes of iron was received from villages across the nation. This iron was converted into reinforcement bars weighing 109.17 metric tonnes and used in the construction of the project. Soil collected from various parts of the country was used to make the symbolic ‘Wall of Unity’. The Statue of Unity stands as a naturalistic and inspirational portrayal of Sardar Patel, donning his characteristic garments and a pose that reflects dignity, confidence, iron will and kindness. Bronze cladding adds richness and visual appeal to the Statue. Sophisticated, state-of-the-art surveying technologies like, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and Telescopic Logging were used for the construction of the Statue. The construction of this National Monument utilised approximately 70,000 metric tonnes of cement, 18,500 metric tonnes of reinforcement bars and 6,000 metric tonnes of structural steel. The surface area of about 22,500 square metres has been clad with around 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent="no" hundred_percent_height="no" hundred_percent_height_scroll="no" hundred_percent_height_center_content="yes" equal_height_columns="no" menu_anchor="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" status="published" publish_date="" class="" id="" border_size="" border_color="" border_style="solid" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_position="center center" background_repeat="no-repeat" fade="no" background_parallax="none" enable_mobile="no" parallax_speed="0.3" background_blend_mode="none" video_mp4="" video_webm="" video_ogv="" video_url="" video_aspect_ratio="16:9" video_loop="yes" video_mute="yes" video_preview_image="" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0"][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type="1_1" spacing="" center_content="no" link="" target="_self" min_height="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" hover_type="none" border_size="0" border_color="" border_style="solid" border_position="all" border_radius="" box_shadow="no" dimension_box_shadow="" box_shadow_blur="0" box_shadow_spread="0" box_shadow_color="" box_shadow_style="" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" margin_top="" margin_bottom="" background_type="single" gradient_start_color="" gradient_end_color="" gradient_start_position="0" gradient_end_position="100" gradient_type="linear" radial_direction="center" linear_angle="180" background_color="" background_image="" background_image_id="" background_position="left top" background_repeat="no-repeat" background_blend_mode="none" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset="" filter_type="regular" filter_hue="0" filter_saturation="100" filter_brightness="100" filter_contrast="100" filter_invert="0" filter_sepia="0" filter_opacity="100" filter_blur="0" filter_hue_hover="0" filter_saturation_hover="100" filter_brightness_hover="100" filter_contrast_hover="100" filter_invert_hover="0" filter_sepia_hover="0" filter_opacity_hover="100" filter_blur_hover="0" last="no"][fusion_text columns="" column_min_width="" column_spacing="" rule_style="default" rule_size="" rule_color="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" class="" id="" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""] Narendra Modi first announced the project to commemorate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel on 7 October 2010 at a press conference to mark the beginning of his 10th year as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. At the time, the project was dubbed, "Gujarat's tribute to the nation". A special purpose vehicle named the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET) was constituted by the Government of Gujarat for executing the project. Narendra Modi, then serving as Chief Minister of Gujarat, laid the statue's foundation stone on 31 October 2013, the 138th anniversary of Patel's birth. Indian infrastructure company Larsen & Toubro won the contract on 27 October 2014 for its lowest bid of ?29.89 billion (US$420 million) for the design, construction and maintenance. The foundation stone of the statue was laid on October 31, 2013. It took 33 months, 25,000 tonnes of iron and 90,000 tonnes of cement for the entire statue to be built. The construction of the statue involved 250 engineers and 3,400 workers. The total cost of the statue was Rs. 2989 crore. Statue of Unity, the worlds highest statue is not only a tribute to the Iron Man of India, but also is the first such tourist attraction located in India and is termed Pride of Nation. A sense of patriotism and united India is infused within the hearts of the people who visit the Statue of Unity or even have a glimpse of it. The statue is estimated to remain as it is for 1000 years. It implies that it will continue contributing to the national income of India through tourism for 10 entries. Since the Statue has been built on PPP model, the public money spent on it is less than the private money spent on it. L&T spent the major part of the money in constructing the statue. Around 10% of the amount spent is contributed by the Government. BBC highlighted a report wherein they highlighted how the basic needs of our farmers were ignored and this extravagant ambition of our politicians has drained the tax-payers money. The staggering Rs. 3000 crores could have been spent more judiciously.I quote Mahatma Gandhi who insisted on applying a test, when our decision-making is in confusion. "Whenever you are in doubt, or when the self becomes too much with you, recall the case of the poorest and weakest man who you may have seen, and ask yourself if the step you contemplate is going to be any use to him. Will he gain anything by it? Will it restore him control over his own life and destiny? Will it lead to SWARAJ that is self-government, for the hungry and spiritually starving millions? Then, you will find your doubts and self-melting away." Social Activists have opposed the project on the ground that India is suffering from natural calamities like floods and cyclones in many parts of the country e.g. Kerala, Orissa. Accordingly instead of putting in the money in the construction of statue, the money could have gone to address these problems of common people. There are other pressing needs in India like education, health, safety, employment. The money could have been utilized in these sectors. Local Tribals were dislocated as their land was acquired for the construction of the statue. The Tadvi tribe opposed land acquisition for the development of tourism infrastructure around the statue. However, they were offered cash and land compensation, and have been provided jobs before land acquisition. I always believed establishing statues was a wasteful expenditure. These precious funds should have been used for poverty alleviation, employment generation, farmers upliftment, grassroot infrastructure, etc. All the Political parties and governments at the State and Centre should resolve unanimously to stop this wasteful expenditure in future. [/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]