The Statue of Unity has become a major hit as the state officials in their recent statement have said that the monument is receiving approximately 30,000 visitors every day. As a tribute to the first deputy Prime Minister of India and the man behind getting 562 princely states to accede to the Indian Union after Independence, Sardar Vallabhai Patel, a 182-meter tall Statue of Unity was unveiled on 31st October ’18.
Since then the monument has been the talk of the town with critics going berserk over the expenses incurred in building the monument. To the contrary, the monument is standing true to its vision of socio-economic development, in the form of better connectivity, healthcare & education infrastructure, a research center for agriculture development and various tribal initiatives.
This can be proven by the fact that the monument received 1.28 lakh tourists in first eleven days of opening. Sardar Patel Ekta Trust, the managing organization of the structure earned more than 2.1 crores in the first 10 days of opening, with more than 1 lakh visitors.
#Narmada : 33,576 tourists visited #StatueOfUnity today,
earned Rs.33,62,860 (today – 10 Nov, 2018)
total 1,08,247 tourists reported in last 10 days,
Sardar Patel Rashtriya Ekta trust earned total Rs.2,10,47,325 in last 10 days.#Gujarat #Tv9News pic.twitter.com/U70yqjtbxd— Tv9 Gujarati (@tv9gujarati) November 10, 2018
Superintending Engineer of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL) R G Kanungo said, “Since November 1, when the statue opened for the public, we have received around 1.28 lakh tourists (till Sunday).” S J Haider, principal secretary (Tourism) said, “Gujarat has registered 17 percent year-on growth in tourism with a total 5.2 crore tourists visiting the state in 2017. The Statue of Unity will help in achieving considerable growth in the arrival of tourists to Gujarat.”
In the latest update by the state officials, they have claimed that the 182-meter tall statue is becoming one of the top tourist spots in the country and is receiving approximately 30,000 visitors every day. Gujarat Chief Secretary J N Singh and the state’s Principal Secretary (Tourism) S J Haider have cited the figure of daily visitors at 30,000 in the past few days.
United States Consul-General Edgard Kagan yesterday visited the memorial and after the visit said, “The statue is very impressive and I’m happy to learn the purpose behind its construction”. The reason behind this footfall is also because of Gujarat government’s attempt to turn the whole vicinity around the statue into a world-class tourist center.
The statue has been constructed strategically on an island, the picturesque view of the Satpura and Vindhyachal hills along with the mighty river, the Narmada provides perfect viewing of the statue. The prime attraction at the site is also a viewers’ gallery that is situated at a height of 135 meters and has the capacity to accommodate 200 visitors at a time.
The state government has also opened a new luxurious accommodation, Tent City Narmada, which is just 10 minutes away from the Sardar Patel monument. The resort is a nature retreat that is set up along the landscaping view of Panchmuli Lake, amidst Satpura and Vindhyachal hills surrounded by natural beauty.
The resort provides two types of travel packages that incorporate accommodation, food, visit to the statue of unity and cultural and entertainment programs.
With the government providing world-class facility around the statue premises, it will help boost the economy of Gujarat. If visitor spending continues to grow at this rate, the statue will soon recover the cost of its construction. This is also a slap on the face of the critics who said it would take multiple decades to retrieve the construction cost of the statue.
