Ahmedabad, December 7: Tourists visiting the Statue of Unity in Gujarat were annoyed after the elevators stopped working for the third time in four days due to a technical snag. The Statue of Unity, which is touted to be the world’s tallest statue, gets over 30,000 visitors on a daily basis. Tourists coming to see the 182-metre tall Statue of Unity dedicated to Sardar Patel in Gujarat's Narmada district, were irked as they had to wait for hours in long queues. The working elevator too was insufficient to handle the massive crowd. After ‘Statue of Unity’ Gujarat Government Plans to Build 80-Feet Tall Lord Buddha Statue. 

Visitors waited in long queues for hours wanting to see the view of nearby areas from the high viewing gallery of the statue. Annoyed by the management, many tourists demanded a refund for their tickets. Reports inform that a similar case was reported on December 2 and 4 where scores of visitors were left in chaos due to malfunctioning of lifts. Sardar Patel's Statue of Unity 'Tallest in The World': List of Four Other Skyrocketing Statues.

The Statue of Unity, located on Sadhu Bet islet on the Sardar Sarovar Dam in Kevadiya, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 31. The statue is a tribute to Patel's role in getting 562 princely states to accede to the Indian Union after Independence. How to Reach Kevadiya to Visit the Statue of Unity of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in Gujarat From Various Cities Across India.

According to a report by Financial Express, the sale of tickets has been capped at 6,500 persons per day but the rush has taken its toll on the lifts. The report states that each elevator in the Statue of Unity can carry 26 passengers and cover the distance of 153 meters in just 30 seconds.

Soon after the incident was reported, Collector of Narmada District and CEO of SoU IK Patel rushed to the site to take a stock of the situation. Patel added saying the Mumbai-based company which has installed these elevators has been informed and technicians will soon resolve the snag.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 07, 2018 05:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).