Statue of Unity

Statue of Unity

एकता क प्रतिमा

The Statue of Unity is a monument in India dedicated to Indian independence movement leader Vallabhbhai Patel located in the Indian state of Gujarat. It will be located facing the Narmada Dam, 3.2 km (2.0 mi) away on the river island called Sadhu Bet near Vadodara in Gujarat. This statue will occupy over 20,000 square meters, and will be surrounded by a 12 square km artificial lake. It is the world's tallest statue with the height of 182 metres (597 ft). Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET), a special purpose vehicle was established by the Gujarat government and the outreach programme was carried out across India starting December 2013.

Initially the total cost of the project was estimated to be about ₹3,001 crore(US$420 million) by the Indian government. Later Larsen & Toubrowon the contract in October 2014 for its lowest bid of ₹2,989 crore(US$420 million) for the design, construction and maintenance. The construction was started on 31 October 2014. The construction of statue was completed in mid-October, 2018. It will be inaugurated on 31 October 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Project[edit]

Statue of Unity under construction, January 2018

The monument statue of Vallabhbhai Patelis being constructed facing the Narmada Dam, 3.2 km away on the river island called Sadhu Bet. The total height of the statue from its base will be 240 metre consisting base level of 58 metre and statue of 182 metre. It is being constructed with steel framing, reinforced cement concrete and bronze coating. The statue will need 75000 cubic metres of concrete, 5700 metric tonne steel structure, 18500 tonne reinforced steel rods, 22500 tonne bronze sheets for construction. In the first phase, a bridge connecting the memorial to the main land, a memorial, visitor centre buildings, a memorial garden, a hotel, a convention centre, an amusement park, research centres and institutes is being constructed.

The Statue of Unity is being designed as a naturalistic and historically accurate representation of Sardar Patel, wearing characteristic garments, in a walking stance. Some highlights of this project:

• Bronze cladding on the Statue.
• Fast elevators to reduce transit time for visitors.
• The three-level base of the Statue - exhibit floor, mezzanine and roof - will contain a Memorial Garden and a large continuous museum/exhibition hall, comprising exhibits that focus on the life and contributions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• The observation deck, situated at a height of around 500 ft from river bed, will accommodate up to 200 people at a time. It will provide visitors a panoramic view, enabling them to see the beautiful Satpura and Vindhyachal mountain ranges, the 212 km long Sardar Sarovar Reservoir, and the 12 km long Garudeshwar Reservoir. For the comfort of the visitors against high wind forces, a 400-ton Tuned Mass Damper system has been provided above the observation deck.
• Access to the Statue via a 5 km boat ride.
• A large modern canopied public plaza, overlooking the Narmada River and the Statue, comprising food stalls, ornate gift shops, retail kiosks and other amenities, that will provide visitors a well-rounded tourist experience.

Finance

The monument is being built on a PPP model, with most of the money raised by Gujarat Government. The Government of Gujarat has allotted ₹100 crore for the project in the budget for 2012-13 and ₹500 crore in 2014-15. In the 2014-15 Union Budget announced on 10 July 2014, ₹2 billion (US$28 million) have been allocated for the construction of the statue.

Construction 

A consortium of Turner Construction (project manager of Burj Khalifa), Michael Graves and Associates and Meinhardt Group, is supervising the project. It will take 56 months to complete the project; 15 months for planning, 40 months for construction and two months for handing over by the consortium.The total cost of the project was estimated to be about ₹2,063 crore (US$290 million) by the government. The tender bids for the first phase were invited in October 2013 and were closed in November 2013.

The then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi, (currently the Prime Minister of India) laid the foundation stone of statue on 31 October 2013, the 138th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. He along with L. K. Advaniannounced to the public that after completion of the project, it will be the tallest statue of the world.

Indian infrastructure company Larsen & Toubro won the contract on 27 October 2014 for its lowest bid of ₹2,989 crore (US$420 million) for the design, construction and maintenance. They commenced the construction on 31 October 2014 and is expected to complete it by 2018. In the first phase of ₹2,989 crore (US$420 million) project, ₹1347 crore are for the main statue, ₹235 crore for exhibition hall and convention centre, ₹83 crore for the bridge connecting the memorial to the main land and ₹657 crore for the maintenance of the structure for 15 years after its completion. Accenture provides digital media outreach programme.

The monument is designed by Ram V. Sutar.

The statue is near completion. It will be inaugurated on 31 October 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Location of construction site in Gujarat state
Coordinates	21°50′16″N 73°43′08″E
Location	Sadhu bet, Near Sardar Sarovar Dam, Garudeshvar weir, Gujarat, India
Designer	Ram V. Sutar
Type	Statue
Material	Steel framing, reinforced concrete, bronze coating[1]
Height	statue: 182 metres (597 ft) including base: 240 metres (790 ft) [1]
Beginning date	31 October 2014; 3 years ago
Dedicated to	Sardar Patel
Website	www.statueofunity.in