Gujarat CM unveils 'Statue of Unity' replica

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel on Saturday unveiled a 30-feet-long replica of 'Statue of Unity' in front of the state secretariat at Gandhinagar on the occasion of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel's 140th birth anniversary.

"I have decided to put a replica of 'Statue of Unity'- (which will be set up at Sadhu bet on the river Narmada), here in Gandhinagar. So the 30-feet-long replica has been unveiled today," Patel told reporters after unveiling the replica.

"Various programmes have been observed across Gujarat today in memory of Sardar Patel Saheb. The main idea behind organising such an event is to encourage our students to read and understand the life and works of Sardar Patel Saheb," she said.

The 'Statue of Unity' is a pet project of former Gujarat Chief Minister and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he wanted to create a befitting memorial of Patel, the first Home Minister of the country.

The work of 182-meter tall statue will be completed by 2018 with the cost of Rs 2,979 crore.

The project was launched by Modi on October 31, 2013.

Modi had then also launched a country wide campaign to collect the iron-pieces to build this statue.

As per the state government claims, iron-pieces were collected from around seven lakh villages across the nation.

The statue after its construction will be the tallest in the world bigger then even Statue of Liberty in the United States.

The contract for its construction has been bagged by engineering firm Larsen and Toubro.