India

Prez to visit Statue of Unity on Dec 15

PTI

President Ram Nath Kovind will be in Gujarat on December 15 to pay visit to the Statue of Unity in Narmada district.

He will also lay the foundation stone for a railway station at Kevadiya village in the vicinity of which the 182-meter tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stands, an official release said on Thursday.

Local tribal leaders are opposing the railway station and have sought a meeting with the president over the issue.

As December 15 is the death anniversary of Sardar Patel, the country's first home minister, Kovind will also attend a prayer meet in the statue complex. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October this year.

From there, Kovind would proceed to Kevadiya village, 5 km away, to lay the foundation stone for a railway station, said the release. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal will also attend the event.