India plans to build the largest statue in the world - nearly 200 m high

182-meter giant called Statue of Unity to be erected in honor of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Deputy Prime Minister of India. After the completion of the statue will surpass the current record holder - Spring Temple Buddha in China. It is planned that the Statue of Unity will be built for 42 months, and its construction will take nearly $ 500 million.

Statue erected on a small island near the dam Narmada, and next to it will break the amusement park. Officials believe that the construction significantly contribute to the growth of tourism in the region, but critics argue that this step has ulterior political motives.

The decision of officials to spend a huge fortune in the last tribute to the leaders in India is not new: Mayawati, a former governor of the state of Uttar Pradesh, has spent on the statue more than $ 500 million.

While a great number of people in India still lives in poverty, the decision to spend huge amounts of money on such seemingly frivolous class, generates a significant backlash from critics who believe that money would be better spent on something more useful .