Statue of Unity: How environment, Adivasi rights lost again to Patel's name

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel is often thought of as the inspiration for the Sardar Sarovar dam which faced a lot of environmental and humanitarian protests

Kevadiya: Final touches being given to the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya Colony, about 200 kilometers from Ahmadabad, Thursday, October 18, 2018. Photo: PTI
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Kevadiya: Final touches being given to the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya Colony, about 200 kilometers from Ahmadabad, Thursday, October 18, 2018. Photo: PTI

Ruth Gamble and Alexander E Davis | The Conversation
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today inaugurate the world’s largest statue, the Statue of Unity in Gujarat. At 182m tall (240m including the base), it is twice the height of the Statue of Liberty, and depicts India’s first deputy Prime Minister, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The statue overlooks the Sardar Sarovar Dam on the Narmada River. Patel is often thought of as the inspiration for the dam, which came to international attention when the World Bank withdraw its support from the project in 1993 after a decade of environmental and humanitarian protests. It wasn’t until 2013 that the World Bank funded another large dam project.
Like the dam, the statue has been condemned for its lack of

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First Published: Oct 31 2018 | 8:48 AM IST

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