'Statue of Unity' foundation ceremony on Oct 31: Minister

The foundation stone laying ceremony of the 'Statue of Unity', a pet project of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, will be held on October 31, State Education Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said today.
The 182-m-high structure, to be built in memory of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, will be the tallest statue in the world. It will be built on an island situated 3 km away from the Sardar Sarovar Dam at Kevadiya, about 90 km from here.
The ceremony will coincide with the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, also called the Iron Man of India.
"The statue would be a memorial to Indian independence hero Sardar Patel and will surpass the Statue of Liberty in height by a large margin," Chudasama said.

Currently, the tallest statue in the world is China's Spring Temple Buddha (128-m-high), he said.
Chudasama was here to inaugurate a complex named after Maharaja Pratapsinh Rao Gaekwad, a visionary ruler of the erstwhile princely state of Baroda.
The Minister supported the ambitious statue project, estimated to cost USD 300 million, saying it will give India its identity. As the US is known for Statue of Liberty, China for Great Wall and France for The Eiffel Tower, India will be known for this statue, he said.
Modi, who unveiled the project in 2010, has already announced a nation-wide campaign to collect small pieces of iron from farmers for building the proposed giant statue.