Modi dedicates projects worth more than Rs 8,600 crore in Surat and Bhavnagar

Ahmedabad, September 30, 2022

Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stones and dedicated various development projects worth more than Rs 8,600 crore in Surat and Bhavnagar in his home state of Gujarat on Thursday.

In Surat, the Prime Minister inaugurated Phase-I of road infrastructure works and the main entrance of Diamond Research and Mercantile (DREAM) City. He laid the foundation stone of Phase II of the project.

Modi also laid the foundation stone of Biodiversity Park, being built in an area of over 87 hectares from Dr Hedgewar bridge to the Bhimrad-Bamrolli bridge. He inaugurated the Khoj Museum at the Science Centre in Surat.

Addressing a gathering, he said that, today, Surat figures among the fastest growing cities in the world, a far cry from the days when the city’s name was linked to epidemics and floods.

The Prime Minister noted that the construction of houses and other facilities provided to the poor and middle-class families of Surat has gone up significantly. Underlining the benefits derived from the Ayushman Bharat scheme, he pointed out that about 40 million poor patients have received free treatment in the country so far. “More than 32 lakh patients are from Gujarat and about 1.25 lakh are from Surat,” he added.

On Surat's textile and diamond business, the Prime Minister noted that it sustains the lives of many families across the country. When the DREAM City project is completed, Surat will develop into one of the safest and most convenient diamond trading hubs in the world.

Highlighting the importance of logistics, the Prime Minister said the people of Surat know what it means to any business. Remarking on the National Logistics Policy, the Prime Minister said that work is underway on a huge project on multi-modal connectivity.

The Hazira Ghogha RoPax ferry service is saving both time and money by reducing a 400 km road distance dramatically from 10-12 hours to 3-4 hours via RoPax. Giving an example of connectivity from Surat to Kashi and Eastern Uttar Pradesh, the Prime Minister said that truck loads of goods are transported and now the railway and coastal departments have come up with unique innovations to boost the number of shipments. “Railways have changed the design of coaches in such a way that cargo can easily fit in it. One-tonne containers have also been specially made for this purpose. After the initial success, now an attempt is made to run a new goods train from Surat to Kashi.”

He laid stress on the advent of electric vehicles and said that Surat will soon be known for electric vehicles. The central government is helping governments to run electric vehicles across the country and Surat is a step ahead in this regard when compared to other cities in the country.

“Today 25 charging stations have been inaugurated in Surat city and the foundation stone of the same number of stations has been laid. This is a big step towards setting up 500 charging stations in Surat shortly.”

In Bhavnagar, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 5,200 crore.

He laid the foundation stone of a CNG Terminal and brownfield port at Bhavnagar. The Prime Minister inaugurated the Regional Science Centre, spread over 20 acres, built at a cost of around Rs 100 crores.

Modi also inaugurated various other projects including package 7 of Sauni Yojna link 2, the 25 MW Palitana Solar PV Project, APPL Container (Aawadkrupa Plastomech Pvt. Ltd.) project; and laid the foundation stone of projects including package 9 of Sauni Yohna link 2, Chorvadla Zone water supply project among others.

Addressing a gathering, Modi said he is of the firm belief that the Rajkot-Jamnagar-Bhavnagar region will soon have the same aura as Surat-Vadodara-Ahmedabad. Bhavnagar has immense potential in industry, agriculture and business.

Throwing light on the importance of the coastal ecosystem, the Prime Minister remarked that the government has played a key role in developing coastal industries and energy networks for these industries. Fishing harbours were constructed and fish processing was promoted for the benefit of the fishermen's community. Mangrove forests were also developed in the area. The government has taken key steps to take aquaculture forward.

“Today, Gujarat's coastline is emerging as synonymous with renewable energy and the hydrogen ecosystem. We have tried to make Saurashtra an energy hub.”

About Bhavnagar port, he said, “There will be an expansion of business related to storage, transportation and logistics.” Referring to the legacy of the Alang Ship breaking yard, he said the biggest beneficiary of the Vehicle Scrappage Policy will be Bhavnagar. He also underlined the related opportunities of container building from the scrapped iron.

Referring to Lothal being an important centre of heritage, the Prime Minister said it was the oldest port in the world and the construction of the Lothal Maritime Museum will create a new identity for the place. Work is being carried out at a rapid pace to bring it on the tourism map of the whole world.

“Along with Lothal, the eco-tourism circuit in Velavadar National Park is also going to benefit Bhavnagar, especially small businesses,” he added.

The Prime Minister expressed satisfaction with the changes that have been brought about after the implementation of the Sauni Yojna which began in Rajkot. “Today, the Sauni Yojna is taking Narmada to all the places where it is supposed to go at a meteoric pace”.

He said the projects inaugurated today will take the waters of the Narmada river to the districts of Bhavnagar and Amreli and benefit the farmers of several villages of Gariadhar, Jesar and Mahuva talukas of Bhavnagar, along with Rajula and Khambha talukas of Amreli district.

“Work has also started today to reach hundreds of villages and dozens of cities in Bhavnagar, Gir Somnath, Amreli, Botad, Junagadh, Rajkot and Porbandar districts,” he added.

NNN