All you need to know about Sardar Patel

Statue of Unity
The Statue of Unity is built in dedication to Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who
served as the first home minister of independent India. At 182 metre, the statue is 23
metre taller than China's Spring Temple Buddha statue and almost double the height
of the Statue of Liberty (93 metre tall) in US.
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India Today Web Desk

New Delhi     
October 31, 2018 UPDATED: October 31, 2018 09:40 IST

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 Drone shot of Statue of Unity on Sadhu Bet island on the Narmada river. (Photo: Chandradeep Kumar)

HIGHLIGHTS
Statue of Unity will be able to withstand wind velocity up to 60 m/s, vibration and earthquakes

It was built within three-and-a-half years by an army of over 3,000 workers

The statue was built by Padma Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar

P
rime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Statue of Unity in Surat, Gujarat
today at around 11:30 am.

The Statue of Unity is built in dedication to Iron Man Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who served
as the first home minister of independent India. Sardar Patel is credited with uniting all 562
princely states in pre-independent India to build the Republic of India -- hence the name of
the statue. The date for the inauguration of the statue (October 31, 2018) also marks the
143rd birth anniversary of Sardar Patel.

The Statue of Unity will be open to the public from November 3. Tickets can be booked
online at www.soutickets.in.
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 o e at .sout c ets. .

Located on the Sadhu Bet island, near Rajpipla on the Narmada river, the Statue of Unity is
located between the Satpura and the Vindhya mountain ranges. A 3.5 km highway will be
used to connect the statue to Gujarat's Kevadia town.

Statue of Unity is built to symbolise India's unity and integrity. (Image: Twitter/souindia)

Here are 10 interesting facts that distinguish the Statue of Unity from other statues in the
world:

1. The Statue of Unity is the tallest statue in the world. At 182 metres, it is 23 metres taller
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 y ,
than China's Spring Temple Buddha statue and almost double the height of the Statue of
Liberty (93 metres tall) in US.

Graphic by Tanmoy Chakraborty.

2. The statue will be able to withstand wind velocity up to 60 m/s, vibration and
earthquakes.

3. It was built within three-and-a-half years by an army of over 3,000 workers, including
300 engineers from infrastructure major Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

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 4. As Gujarat chief minister, Modi had announced the project in 2010 ahead of civic
elections in Ahmedabad. The project, which cost Rs 3,050 crore, was fully funded by the
Gujarat government.

5. The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust (SVPRET), a special purpose vehicle set
up by Modi in 2011, arranged some 129 tonnes of iron implements from nearly 100 million
farmers in 169,000 villages across all states to construct the base of the statue in the 'Loha'
campaign.

Drone image of the statue’s feet and surrounding area. (Photo: Chandradeep Kumar)

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 6. The Statue of Unity was built by Padma Bhushan recipient sculptor Ram V Sutar and
intricate bronze cladding work was done by a Chinese foundry, the Jiangxi Toqine
Company (JTQ).

A crane lifts a piece of the bronze cladding to the head. (Photo: Chandradeep Kumar)

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 The 8 mm thick bronze plate. (Photo: Chandradeep Kumar)

7. The viewing gallery for the statue, at 153 metres, can accommodate 200 people at a time
and offer an expansive view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam.

8. The Statue of Unity will comprise two semi-joined, composite concrete cylindrical cores,
surrounded by a structural steel space frame to support the exterior cladding. 5700 Mton
of structural steel and reinforcement bars of 18500Mton were used to build the statue.

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 22500 mton (22500000 kg) of cement has been used to build the Statue of Unity.(Image: statueofunity.in)

9. The statue is a three-layered structure. The innermost layer is made of reinforced

cement concrete (RCC), comprising two towers 127 metres high that rise till the statue's
chest. The second layer is a steel structure and the third an 8 mm bronze cladding on the
surface.

10. The RCC towers, which at the bottom form Patel's dhoti-clad legs, have two lifts each.
Each lift can carry 26 people to the top in just above half a minute.

While some foreign media are reporting the Statue of Unity as a mark of India's growing
prosperity, the project has faced stiff opposition from tribals.

They said that their lands were taken away for the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Project, near
which is the statue site, as well as for the statue and all other tourism activities which have
been planned. Gujarat tribal organisations said that as many as 75,000 tribals, adversely
affected by the Statue of Unity, will observe a bandh today. The bandh will not only be
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 affected by the Statue of Unity, will observe a bandh today. The bandh will not only be
limited to schools, offices or commercial establishments, but households will also be silent
(no cooking).

However, officials claim that nearly 15,000 direct jobs will be generated for the tribal
people every year from the project.

The Modi government has also drawn flak for spending a staggering amount on the
project, while the farmers in the country continue to perish and tribals protest. Many have
called the project mere political symbolism that does not add much to the historically rich
culture of India.

Fun Facts | Statue of Unity: In Numbers

Must read | Statue of Unity: The inner story of how the giant stands tall

Also watch | Statue of Unity: A real tribute to Sardar Patel or gimmick?

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Posted by
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 Tags : Statue of Unity Gujarat Narendra Modi

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