Claiming a massive response in iron collection for construction of Sardar Patel’s statue senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Om Prakash Singh said that over 90 per cent village panchayats spread over in 57 districts have donated iron for construction of statue.
"This is a massive response. Despite bone-chilling cold and inclement weather party workers went village to village to collect iron and people of all caste, creed and religion happily donated iron for this national cause," Singh told reporters here on Monday. The collection process started on January 7 and continued till February 10. Singh said as per the collection districts have been categorized. There were 44 districts where iron collection was between 90 per cent and cent percent, in 14 districts collection was between 80 per cent and 89 per cent and in three districts collection was less than 80 per cent.
"As per records collection of iron was from 96.94 per cent village panchayats in Kanpur region, 95.66 per cent in Rohailkhand region, 92.80 per cent in Awadh region, 90.90 per cent in Kashi region, 90.33 per cent in Bundelkhand region and 80.33 per cent in western region," he said and added of the worst performing areas 71.85 per cent gram panchayat donated iron in Rae Bareli (awadh region), 60.64 per cent in Jhansi (Bundelkhand region) and 409.24 per cent in Sambhal (western region).
Singh said that till date iron has been collected from 43,000 villages. No one has objected to this scheme. Where collection is poor it is because of our workers who failed to go and meet the people concerned.