1.28 lakh tourists visited Statue of Unity in 11 days

Statue of Unity in Narmada district of Gujarat has attracted more than 1.28 lakh tourists so far, as per an official statement from the tourism department.

Massive inflow of visitors were recorded during the weekend, with over 50,000 people visiting the world’s tallest statue at Kevadiya village on Saturday and Sunday alone (November 10- 11).

“Since November 1, when the statue opened for the public, we have received around 1.28 lakh tourists (till Sunday),”said R G Kanungo, Superintending Engineer of Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL).

Sunday witnessed the largest number of visitors- 27,000  and over 24,000 tourists visited the site on Saturday.

The statue, dedicated to ‘Iron Man of India’ Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is situated on an islet near the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadiya. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31.

“More than 10,000 tourists had visited the statue on the very first day of its opening,” said S J Haider, Principal Secretary, Tourism.

Along with the Statue of Unity, Gujarat Tourism has added many attractions nearby for sight-seeing. Two tent cities have been created along the backwater lakes of the Narmada dam reservoir for tourists who want to stay there.

Among the prime attractions at the site is a viewer’s gallery inside the statue located at a height of 135 metres with a capacity to accommodate 200 persons at a time.