After having the country's biggest dam and irrigation canal system named after the architect of modern India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Gujarat is poised to immortalise his legacy by building a 182-meter-tall (597 feet) statue of the statesman, slated to be the tallest in the world.
If the work done by Patel to unite the princely states of India after Independence was unprecedented, the task of building his statue will also be unique. It will be made of iron collected from farmers across India. A massive iron-collection drive was organised, with senior state ministers and bureaucrats visiting states across the country and urging farmers to contribute for the Statue of Unity.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi had urged every village in the country to donate a piece of iron from their farm equipment before flagging off the collection drive. The iron pieces, collected between October 31, 2013 and January 26, 2014, will be melted and used to make the statue. The drive covered 700,000 villages, and a marathon was organised to garner support for the project. Nearly four million people across the country took part in the 'Run for Unity' marathon, flagged off by Modi on December 15, 2013 from Vadodara. It took place simultaneously across 1,100 locations in India on the same day, the 63rd death anniversary of Sardar Patel.
The foundation of the statue was laid by Modi on October 31, 2013, the 138th birth anniversary of independent India's first home minister, in Kevadia, Narmada district.
The first phase, for which bids have already been invited, will cost an estimated Rs 2,063 crore. It will involve construction of the main statue, a bridge connecting the statue to the river bank and reconstruction of a 12-km road along the bank. The project, which is estimated to cost Rs 2,500 crore, is likely to be completed in the next four years.
"We plan to develop it in two phases. The first phase is expected to be completed in 42 months after the allotment of work to the suitable party. Presently, global tenders are being invited till November 30. After evaluation of these tenders the work will be allotted," said R S Patel, executive engineer, tourism development section, Government of Gujarat.
All the necessary studies for the project have been completed. "We have completed geological and seismological studies along with the mathematical model study," said Patel, adding that the government has been approached for the environment impact assessment.
State government officials said the statue will be constructed bottom up at the site itself. It will be erected on a small rocky island in the middle of the Narmada riverbed, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadia. It will have steel framing, reinforced cement concrete, and a bronze coating. "The statue will have casting sheet works. And parts of it will be brought prepared from different locations," said Patel.
The project will include the statue, a memorial park at the base of the statue, an artificial reservoir between the dam and Garudeshwar town and a visitor facilitation centre and reception desk at Kevadia. The total height of the statue from the base level will be 240 meters, which includes the 58- meter-high base.
Experts expect no problems for the structure. "Those who have assigned the work of designing the statue are experts in their field and there will be no problem with regard to wind, seismology or other factors, as they would have covered it all before laying the foundation," professor H M Shivanand Swamy, associate director, Centre for Environment Planning and Technology University, said.
The Gujarat government has handed over the work of constructing the statue to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET), chaired by Modi himself. The trust has appointed a consortium comprising Turner Project Management India Private Limited as lead member, and Meinhardt India Private Limited and Michael Graves & Associates Inc. to provide the design, engineering, project management and construction management services. The consultants for the project have experience in building 13 of the world's 100 tallest buildings, including Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) management team and its engineers, which built the world's third largest dam and an irrigation system, will oversee implementation of the project.
If the work done by Patel to unite the princely states of India after Independence was unprecedented, the task of building his statue will also be unique. It will be made of iron collected from farmers across India. A massive iron-collection drive was organised, with senior state ministers and bureaucrats visiting states across the country and urging farmers to contribute for the Statue of Unity.
Chief Minister Narendra Modi had urged every village in the country to donate a piece of iron from their farm equipment before flagging off the collection drive. The iron pieces, collected between October 31, 2013 and January 26, 2014, will be melted and used to make the statue. The drive covered 700,000 villages, and a marathon was organised to garner support for the project. Nearly four million people across the country took part in the 'Run for Unity' marathon, flagged off by Modi on December 15, 2013 from Vadodara. It took place simultaneously across 1,100 locations in India on the same day, the 63rd death anniversary of Sardar Patel.
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The statue is set to put Gujarat on the global tourism map also, with the state government considering developing a full-fledged tourist destination around the monument. It will be double the height of New York's Statue of Liberty and four times that of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro. The monument will be built on a Public Private Partnership model, with most of the money raised through public contributions.
The foundation of the statue was laid by Modi on October 31, 2013, the 138th birth anniversary of independent India's first home minister, in Kevadia, Narmada district.
The first phase, for which bids have already been invited, will cost an estimated Rs 2,063 crore. It will involve construction of the main statue, a bridge connecting the statue to the river bank and reconstruction of a 12-km road along the bank. The project, which is estimated to cost Rs 2,500 crore, is likely to be completed in the next four years.
"We plan to develop it in two phases. The first phase is expected to be completed in 42 months after the allotment of work to the suitable party. Presently, global tenders are being invited till November 30. After evaluation of these tenders the work will be allotted," said R S Patel, executive engineer, tourism development section, Government of Gujarat.
All the necessary studies for the project have been completed. "We have completed geological and seismological studies along with the mathematical model study," said Patel, adding that the government has been approached for the environment impact assessment.
| STATUE OF UNITY: A FACTFILE |
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State government officials said the statue will be constructed bottom up at the site itself. It will be erected on a small rocky island in the middle of the Narmada riverbed, facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadia. It will have steel framing, reinforced cement concrete, and a bronze coating. "The statue will have casting sheet works. And parts of it will be brought prepared from different locations," said Patel.
The project will include the statue, a memorial park at the base of the statue, an artificial reservoir between the dam and Garudeshwar town and a visitor facilitation centre and reception desk at Kevadia. The total height of the statue from the base level will be 240 meters, which includes the 58- meter-high base.
Experts expect no problems for the structure. "Those who have assigned the work of designing the statue are experts in their field and there will be no problem with regard to wind, seismology or other factors, as they would have covered it all before laying the foundation," professor H M Shivanand Swamy, associate director, Centre for Environment Planning and Technology University, said.
The Gujarat government has handed over the work of constructing the statue to the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET), chaired by Modi himself. The trust has appointed a consortium comprising Turner Project Management India Private Limited as lead member, and Meinhardt India Private Limited and Michael Graves & Associates Inc. to provide the design, engineering, project management and construction management services. The consultants for the project have experience in building 13 of the world's 100 tallest buildings, including Burj Khalifa in Dubai.
The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) management team and its engineers, which built the world's third largest dam and an irrigation system, will oversee implementation of the project.