The final touches are being given to the world’s tallest statue - the 182-metre tall Statue of Unity (SoU) on Sadhu Bet - dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel. Some 3,200 workers and 230-odd engineers are in a feverish urgency to complete construction work to meet the October 31deadline for the inauguration. Small portions of the 2,000 metric tonnes of bronze plates that form part of Sardar’s skull and face are being clamped together to give the statue its final form.
The height of the bronze statue alone is 157 metres. Immediately below the statue, the interiors of the museum is still under construction. “We will finish work of the museum in the coming week. One major assurance is large visitor’s gallery that is ready. This 135-metre wide gallery is located between the second and third button of Sardar’s coat - and can accommodate 200 visitors,” explained a senior L&T official.
Travellators have been installed on the bridge that connects the SoU complex entrance to the museum. A km ahead are the food court, gardens, boat docking point and two helipads. “Once some water is allowed to flow from the dam, visitors can take boat rides from Sardar Sarovar dam or from the upcoming Shrestha Bharat Bhavan, an under construction hotel project 5.8km ahead, along the river, to the docking point at the SoU complex,” says a senior Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited official.
