The 182-meter-long Statue Of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat attracted a footfall of 2.9 million in one year as against the Gujarat Tourism’s expected footfall of 75 million by 2020 with visitors increasing by 25 million every year.
The statue was built as a tribute to India’s Iron Man, Sardar Vallabhai Patel.
“As many as 29.38 lakh tourists visited the imposing structure near the Sardar Sarovar Dam between November 1, 2018, till November 16, 2019, and had earned revenue of ₹82.51 crores during this period,” said Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat, Nitin Patel in his written reply during Question Hour.
The Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Bill, 2019, has been proposed in the winter session 2019 of the Gujarat Assembly. The bill proposes to develop the area in and around the Statue of Unity to attract more tourists. It reserves ₹10 crores from the consolidated fund of the state.
But it is seen to be predominantly targeting the tribal district of Narmada and is being called as a punitive action against them by the ones opposing the bill. The tribal organisations have alleged that the bill has taken away their homes and livelihood.
MLA Jignesh Mevani, on December 10 opposed the bill and burnt a copy of it in the meeting. He claimed that the bill can further displace 70 more villages of the tribal community and hence called upon 40 MLAs from the tribal and the Dalit communities to oppose the bill. Mewani has been expelled from the three-day winter session for his behaviour.
The bill proposed the establishment of Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Governance Authority or the SoU Tourism Authority (SoUTA). The authority will include representatives from various departments of tourism, forests and environment, roads and buildings, urban development and the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd (SSNNL), along with the president of the Narmada district.
Through the bill, the SoUTA will have the power to procure immovable property under the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act, 2013. It will have powers to define the Tourism Development Area and decide upon the town planning scheme.
The bill also protects the authority by stating that “no suit, prosecution, or other legal proceedings shall lie against the SoU Tourism Authority, other government companies, or any of their committees, members, officers and employees for anything which is in good faith done or intended to be done in pursuance of the provisions of this Act or any rules or regulations made thereunder.”
