Yanam: The Government of Puducherry is getting a replica of the world-famous Eiffel tower constructed here to attract tourists. The structure will be a 100-metre tall obelisk being built by Nagarjuna Construction Company (NCC) on a 14 acre-site at Guriampet overlooking the Bay of Bengal.
The Rs. 27-crore project is funded by Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) which sources over ‘dimensional cargo’ for its offshore terminal at Gadimoga from the local jetty.
The Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation (GSPC) has also contributed more than Rs. 5 crore for sand dredging and filling, according to reliable sources.
Circular restaurant
The tower will have a circular-shaped restaurant above and the actual structure will be mounted with RIL engineers from Mumbai lending their expertise to the NCC teams. The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2010.
The project was actively pursued by Yanam MLA Malladi Krishna Rao who is also the Revenue and Tourism Minister of Puducherry and Member of Parliament V Narayana Swamy. They have successfully roped in RIL and GSPC to build their own model of Eiffel tower for the promotion of tourism.
Panoramic view
The tower will provide a panoramic view of the Bay of Bengal but entry will be restricted to the restaurant (at a height of about 40 metres) for safety reasons.
Some 300 tonnes of structural steel and 330 tonnes of construction steel is required for erecting the tower and 15,000 bags of cement for concrete works including for the pile-cap foundation.
The tower will have rich landscaping around it for tourists to enjoy their visit. |