Think twice if you say STATUE OF UNITY ,is a Wastage of money.

  THE TALLEST,THE GRANDEST
THE IRON MAN IS OUR SARDAR!

STATUE OF UNITY

182 Meters

               Vallabhbhai Patel (October 31, 1875 – December 15, 1950) was a political and social leader of India who played a major role in the country's struggle for independence and subsequently guided its integration into a united, independent nation. He was called the "Iron Man of India", and was often addressed as "Sardar" which means "Chief" or "Leader" in many languages of India.

Soon after the Indian Independence, 565 princely states, some of which were ruled by Maharajas and others by Nawabs, started believing they would become independent rulers of their kingdoms as in the pre-British era. They argued that the government of free India should treat them as equals. It was Sardar Patel's insight, wisdom and diplomacy that drove sense into the minds of the monarchs who agreed accession to the Indian Republic.

The project for making of Sardar Vallabhai Patel Statue was announced on 7th October 2010. And the project began on 31st December 2013.

. It took 56 months to complete – 15 months for planning, 40 months for construction and two months for handing over by the consortium.The total cost of the project was estimated to be about ₹20.63 billion (US$290 million) by the government.

Indian infrastructure company Larsen & Toubro won the contract on 27 October 2014 for its lowest bid of ₹29.89 billion (US$420 million) for the design, construction and maintenance.

The statue's construction took 75,000 cubic metres (2,600,000 cu ft) of concrete, 5,700 tonnes (5,600 long tons; 6,300 short tons) of steel structure, 18,500 tonnes (18,200 long tons; 20,400 short tons) of reinforced steel rods, and 22,500 tonnes (22,100 long tons; 24,800 short tons) of bronze sheets.

The statue was completed in 33 months. The foundation was laid down in 2013; construction was completed in mid-October 2018; and the inaugural ceremony was held on 31 October 2018, presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The statue has been described as a tribute to Indian engineering skills.

Lauding Sardar Patel, PM Modi further said, "If Sardar had not united us as a nation instead of diverse princely states and kingdoms, we would have needed visa to travel from one part of the country to another."

Statues and memorials are built to record legacy of an individual the contributions made by Sardar Vlabhai Patel sir to our country  for the unification of Indians while independence and the struggle he had gone through is a vast ..than the things we do in his memorial like constructing a statue is a small tribute and a way to pay respects. 

   As everyone blindly questions that is it worth of constricting a statue of UNITY?

personally i felt ashamed while reading this type of statements in social media. just ask your inner-self  what kind of question you are asking? .the question is why can't you be happy that we are valuing our traditions and ethics of our motherland and know  we are maintaining our legendary legacy  by constructing such epic monuments.

      Moreover its not a wastage of money but it is a future investment and a great initiative towards a development of tourism and lots of business opportunities and employment . 

If Statues or any such constructions built by others are justified then why not in India?

Building signature & iconic projects has intrinsic & intangible value addition to country's economy in terms of tourism, employment generation & branding of the country

Therefore France built Statue of Liberty for US, Brazil built Christ the Redeemer (built in 1931) , Buddhas of Bamiyan were built back in 507-554 AD.

Number of recreational visitors to the Statue of Liberty in the United States from 2008 to 2017 .

The most visited monument of India, Taj Mahal, has earned Rs 75 cr in last three years through sale of tickets and paid services.just imagine this kind of figure we can see through only by means of tourism.and in India we are lacking behind the tourism development.

“This Sardar Patel statue will be a center of attraction for tourists from around the world. People who visit should know that India is home to such legendary men. They should see our height. We want that they should measure the height of our nation. And when this statue of unity will be built, for us countrymen, it will be a pilgrimage of inspiration.” PM 

My point is, we cannot always think about just the basic need of education, infrastructure development, house, food etc. I know they are important but we do need some other things too.

References:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Unity
https://www.statista.com/statistics/254218/number-of-visitors-to-the-statue-of-liberty-in-the-us/
https://www.quora.com/What-are-your-views-on-Narendra-Modis-project-Statue-of-Unity