Gandhinagar, Oct 13 (IANS): After a gap of more than six months, the tallest statue in the world, the Statue of Unity (SoU), will reopen for public from October 17, an auspicious day when the popular Navratri festival gets underway.

As part of the decision to reopen major tourist attractions in the country, the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Limited (SSNNL) has decided to reopen the Statue of Unity for the public.

The authorities have already reopened other tourist attractions at the Kevadiya site, like jungle safari, children's nutrition park, Ekta Mall and others, which according to the authorities have received good response.

For the reopening of the SoU, special arrangements have been made for strict compliance of Covid-19 guidelines.

To follow the social distancing norms, the SoU authorities have decided to restrict the number of visitors per day to a maximum of 2,500 tourists, out of which only 500 will be permitted access to the viewing gallery which is situated at a height of 193 metres.

Tickets will be available in two-hour slots from the authorised ticketing website www.soutickets.in. No tickets will be issued manually from the ticket windows at the site.

All basic Covid protocols like wearing masks, hand hygiene, and maintaining physical distancing have to be followed by the visitors.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit the Kevadiya site on October 31 on the occasion of National Unity Day.