Guj: Statue of Unity sees record 27,000 visitors on Sat

Over 27,000 people Saturday visited the Statue of Unity in Gujarat's Narmada district, the highest since the Sardar Patel memorial was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31 and opened to the public on November 1.

The statue, built on an islet near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadiya, at 182 metres is the tallest such structure in the world.

With the capacity of the high-speed lift which takes tourists to the viewing gallery inside the statue being 5,000 persons per day, the state government asked people to plan their trip to the memorial keeping this aspect in mind.

The viewers gallery inside the statue is at a height of 135 metres and can accommodate up to 200 persons at one time.

Narmada district Collector R S Ninama, while confirming that 27,000 tourists visited Saturday, said the administration was expecting the figure to go further up Sunday.

He told PTI the high number of tourists was because of Diwali vacations and the Gujarati New Year holiday.

Ninama said the number of feeder buses ferrying visitors from the parking lot to the statue had been increased to 40 from 15 for Sunday.

In a statement, the state government appealed to the visitors "to plan their trip keeping in mind the timing as well as the capacity of the infrastructure at the Statue of Unity."