In recent times, the headlines of every newspaper daily and social media platform were abuzz with just one name, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. The world’s tallest statue, with a staggering height of 182 meters, towers over the river front of Narmada in Gujarat. The huge structure is a colossal statue of the late deputy Prime Minister and a prominent activist during the freedom struggle of India, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. First announced in October 2010 by honorable Chief Minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi, the monument was inaugurated on 31st October 2018 and is open to the public since then. Here are a few facts about the Statue of Unity that you probably missed. 

• The statue is situated on the island Sandhu Bet on the Narmada river, is almost twice the size of the iconic Statue of Liberty in New York, and four times the world- famous Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janerio.
• Built from 90,000 tonnes of cement and 25,000 tonnes of iron, the structure is considered as one of the greatest engineering accomplishments, it is vibration and earthquake proof, and can withstand about 60 meters/second of wind velocity.
• The construction of the remarkable statue began in the later months of 2013, with a taskforce of 250 engineers and around 3,400 labourers who completed construction within around 42 months of its foundation.
• A grand sum of approximately Rs. 2,389 crores was spent in bringing Sardar Vallabbhai Patel’s to form a larger than life structure, most of which was raised by the Government of Gujarat.
• The enormous statue has five zones, three of which are open to the public. It will comprise of a memorial garden, a large exhibit hall and a viewing gallery. At the height of 153 metres, the viewing gallery can accommodate up to 200 people at once.
• Since it has been opened to the public, the monument has attracted a lot of tourism, with around 30,000 visitors daily. It has quickly become the country’s top tourist spots.
• A 3-star lodging facility has also been developed adjacent to the structure, with a capacity of 52 rooms called Shrestha Bharat Bhavan.

In the past 30 years, Vascon has had the privilege of being associated with various engineering and developmental successes in the field of infrastructure. When a construction marvel of this stature comes by, we find ourselves obliged to salute such phenomenal creations that inspire us to do better in our endeavors!