Guj officials visit Sardar Patel memorial site to take stock

Gujarat Chief Secretary J N Singh and other officials Sunday visited the site of the Sardar Patel memorial in Narmada district, about 90 kilometres from here, to take stock of the work.

The 182-metre tall Statue of Unity, located about 3.32 kilometres from the Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadiya, is scheduled to be inaugurated on October 31 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"We visited the site to take stock of the project and ensure its timely completion. It will be ready for inauguration on October 31. It will emerge as a world class tourist destination," Singh told PTI.

The memorial is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 3,000 crore under the Public Private Partnership model by construction firm Larsen and Toubro and the state-run Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL).

"A viewing gallery at a height of around 500 feet will provide visitors a spectacular view of the Sardar Sarovar Dam and its surrounding areas," SSNNL chairman-managing director SS Rathore told PTI Sunday.

Around 3,500 workers and 250 engineers are working at the site to get the statue, touted as the world's tallest, ready for inauguration on October 31.