Statue of Unity replica to feature at Jammu’s upcoming waste to wonder park

JAMMU: A 40-foot-high replica of the Statue of Unity, dedicated to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, is being constructed at the upcoming ‘waste to wonder park’, a flagship project of Jammu Smart City Limited aimed at combining sustainable waste management with tourism development, officials said on Monday.

The park is being developed on about 40 kanals of land along the banks of the Tawi river at Bhagwati Nagar, the base camp of the annual Amarnath Yatra. It will feature replicas of 14 iconic monuments from India and abroad, created mostly from recycled waste material.

Chief Executive Officer of the Jammu Smart City Project, Dr Devansh Yadav, said the park is emerging as a major attraction under the Smart City Mission.

“This is one of our flagship projects, and people are quite excited about it. Replicas of the seven wonders of the world, monuments from across India, and significant heritage sites of Jammu will be featured here,” Yadav said.

Beyond aesthetics, the park aims to serve as a holistic recreational hub with facilities such as an administrative block, ticketing counters, food courts, an open-air theatre, adventure zones for children and water points. “This comprehensive infrastructure will make it an attractive destination for families, tourists and students, providing both entertainment and educational opportunities,” officials said.

Yadav added that the project is part of a larger tourism corridor along the Tawi riverfront, spread across nearly 100 kanals, which will also include a botanical park, another park, two water bodies, urban forests and running tracks.

“The park will also act as a buffer against pollution. Benches and other infrastructure are being created from recycled plastic, and there will be fun zones and food courts,” he said.

Artist Ram Krishen Augisti, who is leading a team of scrap artists from Odisha, said the project will be completed by the end of March.

“We have a project underway, and we expect to finish all the work by the end of March. We have plenty of materials available. Although the cold climate has slowed our pace, we are making progress. Our goal is to construct a true replica of Sardar Patel,” he said.

Engineer Prashant, associated with the project on the ground, said that work on the park began in November of last year. “About 50 to 60 per cent of the work has been completed. The replicas of the seven wonders of the world are being created using waste material,” he said.

Suchandra Singh, a resident, described the project as a moment of happiness for Jammu. “Such a place will attract both locals and tourists and will also help the local economy,” Singh said.

BJP MLA Arvind Gupta said that the park at Bhagwati Nagar is poised to become the biggest tourist and recreational spot in the city. “The park will have 14 monuments, including replicas of the Eiffel Tower, wonders from Cambodia, Rome and Bhutan, besides Kedarnath Temple, the Taj Mahal, the Statue of Unity, the Chenab rail bridge, Krimchi temple and Akhnoor fort,” he said.

He added that the project includes seven international monuments, four national monuments and three local landmarks, calling it “one of the best smart city projects in Jammu.”

Replicas of the monuments will be created entirely from scrap materials, including iron pipes, machine parts, e-waste and rubber tyres, officials said. “Such an initiative also instils environmental consciousness by demonstrating how discarded materials can be transformed into artistic and architectural marvels,” an engineer said.

The transformation of what was once a municipal waste dumping ground into a hub of innovation and leisure exemplifies urban renewal, officials noted, adding that the project is expected to enhance Jammu’s tourist appeal. (PTI)