Statue of Unity- ‘Loha’ Campaign and Milestones

Statue of Unity

Statue of Unity is dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was a role model of unity and statesmanship. The Statue of Unity is the tallest in the world and is located in Gujarat. The statue faces the Sardar Sarovar dam and stands on the Isle of Sadhu Bet in the river Narmada in district Rajpipla in Gujarat. The statue is naturally decorated by Vindhyachal and Satpura mountain ranges in the background. The statue aims to inspire a generation with Sardar vallabhbhai’s vision of unity, patriotism, and growth of good governance. The statue was inaugurated on 31st October 2018 by prime minister Narendra Modi. The Statue of Unity is a tribute to the iron man of India and it is 182 m high. The task of construction of the Statue of Unity was under Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta Trust which was created by the chief minister of Gujarat.

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Rashtriya Ekta trust has executed the project and undertaken all the activities wish were related to the statue of Unity through Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited. SVPRET is a powerful governing body that is headed by the chief minister of Gujarat and executive committee members who take care of various project-related decisions. SVPRET appointed project management consulted with Turner project management India private limited, Meinhardt India private limited, and Michael Grace and association Inc. These project management consultants has been involved in developing some of the world’s tallest structures including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Largest Statue in the World

The Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam limited has built one of the tallest concrete gravity dams in the world and an irrigation system that is one of the top irrigation systems in the world. The noted sculpture Ram V Sutar who is a Padma Bhushan awardee and had created over 40 monumental structures over the past 40 years was designated as the chief sculpture of the Statue of Unity.

Statue of Unity: ‘Loha’ Campaign

With this, the countrywide campaign of Loha campaign was conducted during the years 2013 and 2014. The Loha campaign covered several villages across the country where the farmers donated their tools and soil samples as a voluntary contribution to the iconic project of the statue of Unity. A total number of 1,69,078 used tools and soil samples were collected during the campaign. Loha campaign is one of the largest social mobilization drives in the world which collected 134.25 metric tons of irons from the villages across the nation. The soil collected from the various part of the country was used to make the “wall of Unity”. The iron was converted into bars weighing 109.17 metric tons and was used for the construction of the statue of Unity. The construction of the statue of Unity utilized approximately 70,000 metric tons of cement, 18,500 metric tons of reinforcement bars, and 6,000 metric tons of structural Steel. The surface area is about 2,200 square meters which are made of around 1,700 metric tonnes of bronze.

Milestones of the Statue of Unity

1. 2012-13

• Potential bidders meeting in Delhi on 28 May 2013
• Governor of Gujarat launches the website by HE on 28 October 2013.
• On October 31^st, 2013 the ground-breaking ceremony of the Statue of Unity was held.
• Foundation investigation of Sadhu bet on 1st November 2013.
• ‘Loha’ campaign started on 28 December 2013.
• On 21st August 2012 the contract with PMC Turner project management and JV was signed.

2. 2014

• The insurance work order to LNT was held on 27 October 2014
• Ground-breaking ceremony of Shreshtha Bharat Bhavan on 31st October 2014.
• Feature consultation of the statue at karamsad on December 27, 2014.

3. 2015

• The Statue of Unity was showcased at the vibrant Gujarat summit 2015 on 5th January 2015.
• Consultation workshop at Bardoli on 2nd May 2015.
• Consultation workshop at Ahmedabad on 26th May 2015.
• Photo consultation at Noida on 21st July 2015.
• A replica of the Statue of Unity was installed at Swarnim park, Gandhinagar on 31st October 2015.

4. 2016

• Review of the statue of Unity project by prime minister Narendra Modi on 17th June 2016.
• Ground-breaking ceremony of memorial and visit a center on 29 September 2016.
• Oath of Unity at Swarnim Park, Gandhinagar on 31st October 2016.

5. 2017

•  Archival book launch on 4th January 2017
• Showcase in the statue of Unity at vibrant 2017
• Launch of coffee table book in May 2017
• Visit of prime minister Narendra Modi on 17 September 2017
• Construction stage of the statue of Unity continued on 31st December 2017.

6. 2018

• The inauguration of the Statue of Unity on 31st October 2018.
• Prime minister met the project team and consultant and engineers on 31st October 2018

FAQs related to Statue of Unity

1. What are the timings of the Statue of Unity in India?
Ans. The Statue of Unity is open from 9:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. To visit the statue of Unity you can book your tickets from the official website and buy them directly.

2. What is the meaning of the Statue of Unity?
Ans. The Statue of Unity is a statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was the first deputy prime minister of independent India. The statue is located in Gujarat, India.

3. Why is the statue of Unity the world’s tallest monument?
Ans. The Statue of Unity is the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was known as when the nucleus of India’s integration as a United country. It is the tallest monument in the world with a height of 182 meters.

4. Who is the Statue of Unity in India?
Ans. The Statue of Unity is the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel who was the first deputy prime minister of independent India.

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