We are only making a small part of Sardar Patel statue, says Chinese firm

The Chinese metals firm and foundry at the eye of the storm over the Sardar Patel statue allegedly being "made in China" has denied reports saying it is constructing the entire statue, clarifying that it was only making "a small part" of the 182 metre "statue of unity".

Sardar Patel statue

The Chinese metals firm and foundry at the eye of the storm over the Sardar Patel statue allegedly being "made in China" has denied reports saying it is constructing the entire statue, clarifying that it was only making "a small part" of the 182 metre "statue of unity".

A representative of the Jiangxi Tongqing Metal Handicrafts company told India Today when asked if the firm was constructing the entire 182 metre-tall statue slated to come up in Gujarat: "It is not true".

"We are only making a small part," the company representative said. "We are not making the whole statue." 

Representatives have been told to not disclose further details of their contract with Larsen & Toubro (L&T) after a controversy erupted following reports suggesting that the entire statue was being cast in the Jiangxi foundry and shipped to India, and that "thousands" of Chinese workers would fly in to Gujarat to erect the statue.

The company said it was only constructing "small parts", referring to certain metal and bronze elements of the statue.

The firm has also denied that thousands of its workers will travel to India, pointing out that it presently only employs between six and seven hundred workers at its base in Nanchang, in southern Jiangxi.

As of now, there are no plans for a large number of workers to travel to India, with representatives pointing out that to begin with, there no likelihood of the Indian Embassy even issuing such a large number of visas for Chinese workers. Under current policies, only a limited number of management-level Chinese workers are eligible to apply for business visas, and on-going Chinese manufacturing and construction projects in India largely employ Indian workers.

L&T has, however, still faced questions as to why it assigned even the bronze elements and parts of the statue to a foundry in China, rather than rope in an Indian firm for such a landmark project.