Apparently, politicians in India are fighting to reach monumental heights – quite literally.
Joining the list of tall structures in India will be the Andhra Pradesh Assembly building that will come up at Amaravati. The proposed design by UK-based architects Norma Fosters – that has almost been finalised by Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu – will make the Andhra Assembly building taller than the Statue of Unity by 68 metres.
The three-floor Assembly building will have a 250-meter tower – making it taller than the 182-metre Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
The proposed structure will be shaped like an upside-down lily flower, Minister for Municipal Administration, P Narayana, told the media.
The tending process for the construction of the proposed Assembly will begin by the end of November. The AP government expects the tendering process alone to take two years to finalise, he added.
Taller – and Grander!
Earlier in October, there was sharp criticism from all quarters over the Rs 2,989 crore spent on the construction of the Statue of Unity. The statue was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who said that the statue will be a reminder to the nation of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s efforts to unify India shortly after the country gained independence from the British.
Shortly after the Statue of Unity was inaugurated, two states made announcements about building grand statues.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced that the state will build a 201-metre tall statue of Lord Ram. This announcement was followed by the Karnataka government’s announcement to build a 125 feet (38.1 meters) statue of Mother Cauvery.
Earlier, the Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for Chhatrapati Shivaji’s memorial statue that was expected to be 210 meters tall, costing Rs 3,600 crore. However, the height of the statue was shortened by 7.5 meters to save costs.
‘Is There a Competition?’
Here’s what Twitterati had to say, or rather, ask.
(This story was first published on The News Minute.)
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