Visitors thronging the Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, in the past few days are being greeted to an unusual sight: a flooded viewing gallery and water dripping from the roof of the exhibition halls.
Officials accountable for the upkeep of the 182-metre structure were quick to point that the viewing gallery that can accommodate nearly 200 people at any given time was designed in such a way that it was bound to get flooded.
The viewing gallery, at a height of 135 metres, has a grill frontage which allows winds to blow in water during heavy rains, said officials. The deck offers a panoramic view of Narmada.
Meanwhile, videos of the dripping ceilings and visitors wading through puddles inside the statue have been circulating on social media.
IK Patel, CEO of Statue of Unity, did not respond to calls and messages from DNA. Earlier in the day, Patel had told media persons that the flooding was not due to leakage.
"You can't call it a leakage. The water is entering the viewing area because it is open so as to allow visitors to get a view of things. It cannot be covered. So the flooding is because of the design and not leakage," Patel told the media.
He, however, did not elaborate on the leakage in the exhibition halls which are at the base of the statue. The officials have apparently asked L&T, the company that built the statue, to stop the leakage.
Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October 2018, the Statue of Unity was built at a cost of nearly Rs 2,389 crore. It was completed in 3.5 years, although the foundation stone was laid in October 2013 by Modi who was then the chief minister of Gujarat.
‘It’s been designed in that way’
- IK Patel, CEO of Statue of Unity, water is entering the viewing area from the grill. Can’t call it leakage, he said
- Patel, however, was silent on water dripping in the exhibition halls that are at the base of the 182-mt statue
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