Statue of Unity inauguration: World's tallest statue in 10 points

AHMEDABAD: The 182-metre tall Statue of Unity will be unveiled by the PM on October 31, birth anniversary of Sardar Patel, the first home minister of the country, in Gujarat. The statue, being built at a cost of Rs 2,389 crore, will be the world's tallest, standing 3.2 km downstream of the Narmada dam on the islet. 1: Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project on October 31, 2013 when he was the chief minister of Gujarat. 2: Its work order was given to the engineering and construction major L&T on December 3, 2014, and it was scheduled to be completed within 42 months. 3: The Statue of Unity is located in the mountain range of Satpura and Vindhyanchal, about 100km from Vadodara,  near the Sardar Sarovar Dam on Narmada River. 4: The core of the statue is made up of reinforced concrete, but its surface that gives it a distinct design, has been created using 553 bronze panels, with each panel having 10 to 15 micro panels. 5: The panels were cast at a foundry in China and imported by L&T. The panels were cast in a foundry in China as part of the international bidding process since there was no such facility in India that could make panels of that size. 6: The first phase of the project is spread across 19,000 square metres area. Flowers will be grown on the hillocks adjoining the statue to make the 230-hectare area look like a "valley of flowers". 7: To accommodate tourists in this tribal-dominated area, the state government is also constructing a 52-room three-star hotel and two "tent cities" with 250 tents. These facilities are currently under construction. 8: The Gujarat government is also constructing a 3.5km long highway for tourists to reach the statue from Kevadia town. 9: In the second phase, Garudeshwar weir will be constructed around 14-kms downstream the statue, with the facility of boat ride for the public. The museum will have 40,000 documents, 2,000 photographs and a research centre dedicated to Sardar Patel's life. 10: As India's first Home Minister, Sardar Patel was instrumental in ensuing the merger of 585 princely states and kingdoms across the country after Independence. About 15,000 tourists are expected to visit the statue daily.