The iconic Statue of Unity will now be accessible through seaplanes. The Gujarat government will relocate 300 crocodiles from three reservoirs for seaplane transport. So far a small number of crocodiles has been already moved “from dyke number three of the reservoir which has been identified as a probable site for the seaplane jetty,” a source told AFP. Earlier President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone for the Kevadia Railway Station, which when built, would provide direct access to the Statue of Unity.
The 182 metre statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel has catalyzed tourism industry in the region. The statue is built with an investment of 3,000 crore and expects on average 15,000 visitors per day with high density on weekends. Gujarat already has two major tourist attractions, Gandhi circuit and Great Rann of Kutch the state economy and tourism industry is all set to receive a huge boost with the ‘Statue of Unity’. The statue is located in Narmada district in western Gujarat, 200 km from Ahmedabad. The area of western Gujarat is also near to Greater Mumbai and Nashik region which are among the richest regions of the country.
The Statue of Unity made its place in top 10 most visited monuments. The statue got 75,000 visitors in first five days which translates to 15,000 visitors per day. This is more than the number of visitors that the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and World War II memorial got in the year of 2017. Both war memorials are located in Washington D.C., capital of the United States and both epitomize war and destruction, while the India structure symbolizes unity and peace. The Statue of liberty, located in New York City, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world got less number of visitors than the Sardar Patel Statue.
The story does not end here, the beautiful structure in the great city of London, Tower of London which has symbolized the power and global stature of the city, got around 28 lakh visitors in the year of 2017, which translates to just 7,800 visitors per day. A statue located in an obscure location in Narmada district, 100 km from the nearest major city Vadodara has surpassed the monuments located in global cities like New York, Washington D.C., and London. “There was a huge rush of people from the state and those from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra,” said PC Vyas, chief engineer, Sardar Sarovar Nigam Limited.
Hence, the sight will attract affluent visitors from the cities like Ahmedabad, Surat, Mumbai and Nashik. The surroundings of the statue are some beautiful locations like the valley of flowers, Vindhaychal and Satpura hill ranges, and the mighty Sardar Sarovar dam, on the banks of Narmada River, which is among largest dams in the world. The ticket price has been kept in affordable range with 120 rupees for regular entry tickets for adults and 60 for kids 3-15 years. If one wishes to enjoy a view from the height of 400 feet from the chest of Sardar Patel, he/she must pay 350 rupees. The statue of Sardar Patel, one of the founding fathers of modern India will boost the economy of the state of Gujarat along with a permanent establishment to the legacy of Sardar Patel.