Mahatma Mandir’s ‘Race against time’ story with pictures

Published By : Admin | January 9, 2011 | 06:14 IST

The site of the Mahatma Mandir – the venue for the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors’ Summit 2011 (VGGIS 2011), constructed with 32,000 cubic meter of concrete 3,500 ton of steel for RCC, 2,000 ton steel for the steel structure & 60 lakh days of man-power, was just an open ground just around 7 months ago, but in just 225 days.

It was the vision of a person none other than Gujarat’s Chief Minister Shri Narendra Modi that conceived the dream of a unique memorial for Mahatma Gandhi – the Father of the Nation, which can depict the ideology of the man for global peace & welfare of mankind in equally unique way. With due determination & dedication, the foundation stone for the Mahatma Mandir was laid by the CM on the 50th Foundation Day of the state as an auspicious commencement of the celebrations of the Golden Jubilee Year.

To involve the Gujarati Diaspora living within the country or abroad in this noble initiative, Shri Modi appealed the Gujarati community to bring in holy water of holy rivers & the holy earth of their respective regions. The response evoked by the appeal was beyond expectation and the foundation stone-laying ceremony was conducted by consuming the holy water & earth from 31 rivers 51 regions respectively. Thus the exercise for giving global dimensions to the monument began with the very first step in completely right direction.

Situated in the Central Vista at Gandhinagar, facing the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the New Sachivalaya Complex, the Mahatma Mandir’s first phase of construction has been completed in just 225 days.

How the Herculean task was accomplished at a jet pace

After the foundation stone-laying ceremony on May 1, 2010, the work for the foundation was completed in just 21 days i.e. on May 21. The next stint of 50 days ensured completion of structure up to ground level. The phase for the superstructure began on July 9, 2010 and with continuous construction activity round the clock, the first slab was cast within 30 days (August 8, 2010), while the second one was in place in next 25 days (September 3, 2010). By the end of November, 2010, the top ceiling of the structure was standing tall reflecting the great stature of Mahatma.

The nature of the structure can be gauged from the fact that 32,000 cubic meter of concrete, 3,500 ton of steel for RCC, 2,000 ton steel for the steel structure & 60 lakh days of manpower were used for the materialization.

The convention center

The convention center built up at the Mahatma Mandir under the first phase of construction has a host of architectural features. The huge hall having height of 11.2 meter can accommodate 5,000 people comfortably. The hall can be divided into three parts and each part has its exclusive arrangement for air-conditioning. The state-of-art sound system can address the audience in all of the three parts most effectively. The entire hall is designed in the most exotic way. The gates of the hall are also so wide that even a truck can be brought in for the convenience of the even organizers.

The state-of-art technology

‘Custom Design Form Work’ for erection of columns including circular beams & ’2 T Vibro Roller’ for the most speedy casting of large footing, ‘Top Down Construction Technology’ for construction of columns & computer-aided machines & technology for cutting & bending of steel used in RCC -these technological jargons are new not only for a layman but also for the professionals in the industry who are not having global exposure. But it is this technological excellence, which has made possible the speedy execution of the project.

Reflecting Gujarat’s concern for environment conservation, the trees at the site have been replanted using advance technology. The 3-km long trench has been built up by using pre-cast cover slab. The 60-m long & 5-m wide steel beam were put in place by heavy crane using tandem lifting technology. For placement of composite desk slab at a height of 18 meter bedding made of iron sheet & concrete is used, which eliminate the need of in-between support. The outer walls of the 60-m wide & 96-m long convention hall are made of 300 pre-cast walls each having weight of 9,000 kg. This work of covering the hall with outer walls was completed just in two months.

The length of cables used in the hall for the purpose of electricity & telephones is as long as 12 km. The total area of glass-panes used in the hall is 30,000 square feet, which were fitted in just 20 days. Not only that, 1,80,000 square feet area within the hall is made waterproof by using advance technology.

May it be inspiring the next generation through Gandhian ideology or guiding the world on the path to peace, facilitating a large gathering like VGGIS 2011 or use of advance technology, the Mahatma Mandir is truly all set to excel in all of these tasks.

Source: DeshGujarat

 

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My greetings to all young friends!

The beginning of the year 2026 is marking the start of new joys in your lives. Along with this, as Vasant Panchami passed just yesterday, a new spring is beginning in your lives as well. This time is also connecting you with your duties towards the Constitution. Coincidentally, the grand festival of the Republic is currently underway in the country. Yesterday, on January 23rd, we celebrated Parakram Diwas on the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash, and now tomorrow, January 25th, is National Voters' Day, followed by Republic Day on January 26th. Today is also a special day. It was on this very day that our Constitution adopted ‘Jana Gana Mana’ as the National Anthem and ‘Vande Mataram’ as the National Song. On this significant day today, more than sixty-one thousand youngsters are making a new beginning in life.

Today, you all are receiving appointment letters for government services; in a way, this is an Invitation Letter for Nation Building. This is a resolution letter to give momentum to the construction of a Developed India. Many among you will strengthen the security of the country, many will further empower our education and healthcare ecosystem, many friends will strengthen financial services and energy security, while many youth will play an important role in the growth of our government companies. I give many congratulations and best wishes to all of you youth.

​Friends,

​Connecting youth with skills and providing them opportunities for employment and self-employment has been the priority of our government. To ensure that government recruitment is also done in mission mode, the Rozgar Mela was started. In the past years, the Rozgar Mela has become an institution. Through this, lakhs of youth have received appointment letters in different departments of the government. Extending this mission further, today this Rozgar Mela is being held at more than forty locations in the country. I especially welcome the youth present at all these locations.

​Friends,

​Today, India is one of the youngest countries in the world. It is the continuous effort of our government that new opportunities are created for India’s youth power within the country and across the world. Today, the Government of India is signing trade and mobility agreements with many countries. These trade agreements are bringing numerous new opportunities for the youth of India.

​Friends,

​In the past time, India has made unprecedented investments for modern infrastructure. Because of this, employment has increased significantly in every sector related to construction. The scope of India’s start-up ecosystem is also advancing at a fast pace. Today, there are about two lakh registered start-ups in the country. More than twenty-one lakh youth are working in these. Similarly, Digital India has expanded a new economy. In many fields such as animation and digital media, India is becoming a global hub. India’s creator economy is growing at a very fast pace, and in this too, youth are getting new opportunities.

​My young friends,

​The way the world’s trust in India is increasing today is also creating many new possibilities for the youth. India is the only large economy in the world that has doubled its GDP in a decade. Today, more than a hundred countries are investing in India through FDI. Compared to the ten years before 2014, more than two and a half times the FDI has come into India. More foreign investment means countless opportunities for employment for the youth of India.

​Friends,

​Today, India is becoming a big manufacturing power. In many sectors such as electronics, medicines and vaccines, defense, and auto, there is an unprecedented increase in both India’s production and exports. Since 2014, there has been a six-fold increase in India’s electronics manufacturing, six-fold. Today, this is an industry of more than 11 lakh crore rupees. Our electronics export has also crossed four lakh crore rupees. India’s auto industry has also become one of the fastest-growing sectors. In the year 2025, the sale of two-wheelers has reached beyond two crores. This shows that the purchasing power of the people of the country has increased; they have received many benefits from the reduction in Income Tax and GST; there are many such examples which indicate that employment is being created in large numbers in the country.

​Friends,

​In today's event, more than 8 thousand daughters have also received appointment letters. In the past 11 years, there has been nearly a two-fold increase in women's participation in the country's workforce. Our daughters have benefited greatly from the government's schemes like Mudra and Start-up India. There has been an increase of about 15 percent in the rate of women's self-employment. If I talk about start-ups and MSMEs, today there is a very large number of women directors and women founders. In our cooperative sector, and the self-help groups working in villages, women are leading in very large numbers.

​Friends,

​Today the country has set out on the Reform Express. Its objective is to make both life and business easy in the country. Everyone has benefited from the next-generation reforms in GST. Through this, our young entrepreneurs are benefiting, and our MSMEs are benefiting. Recently, the country has implemented historic labor reforms. Through this, laborers, employees, and businesses will all benefit. The new labor codes have further strengthened the scope of social security for laborers and employees.

​Friends,

​Today, when the Reform Express is being discussed everywhere, I want to assign a task to you as well regarding this subject. Recall, in the last five-seven years, when and in what form have you had contact with the government? Whether you had work in some government office, or interacted through some other medium and you faced trouble, felt some deficiency, or felt some irritation - just remember such things. Now you have to decide that those things which troubled you, sometimes troubled your parents, sometimes troubled your friends, and what used to pinch you, feel bad, or make you angry - now you will not let those difficulties happen to other citizens during your own tenure. Being a part of the government, you too will have to carry out small reforms at your level. You have to move forward with this approach so that the maximum number of people are benefited.

The work of strengthening Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business happens as much through policy as it does through the intention of the government employee working at the local level. You must remember one more thing. In this era of rapidly changing technology, the needs and priorities of the country are also changing rapidly. You also have to keep upgrading yourself along with this fast change. You must definitely make good use of platforms like iGOT Karmayogi. I am happy that in such a short time, about one and a half crore government employees are training and empowering themselves anew by joining this iGOT platform.

​Friends,

​Whether it is the Prime Minister or a small servant of the government, we are all servants and we all have one common mantra; in that, no one is above, nor is anyone to the right or left, and for all of us, for me as well as for you, which is that mantra - "Nagrik Devo Bhava" (The Citizen is God). We have to work with the mantra of "Nagrik Devo Bhava"; you also keep doing so. Once again, this new spring that has come into your life, this new era of life is beginning, and it is through you that a developed India is going to be built in 2047. Many best wishes to you from my side. Thank you very much.