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The year 2018 witnessed a slew of inaugurations by the government, with some culminating the conclusion of high-end infrastructure projects, while others intended to boost growth of services and tourism sector. As the years comes to a close, LatestLY brings to you below the list of 5 big-ticket inaugurations which have intrigued the nation.
Inaugurated on October 31, 2018, the Statue of Unity honours the nation's first home minister - Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel - who played a crucial role in accession of 554 princely states with India after independence.
The statue measures 182 metres (597 feet) long, making it the tallest in the world. It is located in Narmada's Kevadiya region, around 100-km southeast of Vadodara. The project cost the exchequer nearly Rs 3,000 crores.
Inaugurated on November 4, the Signature Bridge is located above the banks of river Yamuna in the national capital. The asymmetrical bridge -- first-ever in India -- connects Wazirabad to East Delhi, cutting down the commutation duration between the two nodes by nearly 30 minutes.
The pylon of the bridge is the tallest structure in Delhi, with the viewing box placed over it standing at a height of 154 metres -- nearly double the height of Qutub Minar.
The landmark infrastructure took 21 years for completion, after it was first conceived in 1997. A ruckus erupted between the state government and the Centre at its inauguration, with BJP lawmaker Manoj Tiwari being allegedly pushed by AAP legislator Amanatullah Khan.
The Angriya cruise, connecting Mumbai to Goa, was launched on October 20 this year. The 133-metre luxury vessel is named after 18th century Maratha naval commander Admiral Kanhoji Angre.
The cruise service, targeting high-end travellers, is already a hit among its audience. Divided into eight types of facilities, the fares range from Rs 7,500 to Rs 11,000. With seven decks, the cruise has a capacity of accommodating 350 passengers, along with 70 crew members onboard.
The greenfield airport of Pakyong became the 100th airport commissioned in the nation by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. Inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 24, the landmark airport became the first operating air terminal in the frontier state of Sikkim.
The airport project was approved by the Centre in 2008 and was constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore. The project is being billed as an engineering marvel -- it has been built at a height of 4,500 feet in an inhospitable terrain.
After 70 years of wait, the Indian and Pakistani governments finally agreed to open a corridor connecting the Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab's Gurdaspur (on the Indian side of the border) to Pakistan's Kartarpur Sahib shrine -- the final resting place of Guru Nanak Dev ji.
The groundbreaking ceremony of the 4-km corridor was held on November 18 in Lahore. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan invited Sikh believers from the Indian side of the border to visit the Kartarpur Sahib shrine through the new corridor. "The happiness I'm seeing on the faces of my Sikh brothers is the same one could see when a Muslim visits Madina," Khan had said.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 16, 2018 07:41 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
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