6 years of Statue of Unity: PM Modi inaugurates projects worth Rs 284 crore at Narmada river site

Two walkways of about one kilometre each are part of the new projects, connecting the Ekta Dwar (parking area) to Shreshtra Bharat Bhavan as well as from the Bus Bay to View Point-1. The walkways, which are 7.5 metres wide, have 100 benches installed as well as a shade equipped with sprinklers considering extreme temperatures during summer.

Compared to a footfall of 4.5 lakh in 2018 when it was opened to the public, the tourist footfall recorded in 2023 was 51 lakh.

Ahead of the Diwali vacation when tourist footfalls rise in Gujarat, the inauguration will celebrate the country’s first deputy prime minister — who led the unification of over 500 princely states into the Indian Union.

Among the projects inaugurated on Wednesday that have been put off are the Rajwadu Bhavan, showcasing royal history and the Tribal Museum. Other additions include traffic circles, ten Smart Bus Stops, a CESL-Car Charging Port, and a 4 MW capacity solar project built at Rs 23.26 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the foundation stone laying and inauguration of development works, in Ekta Nagar, Gujarat, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (PTI Photo)

According to officials of the Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Regulation Authority (SOUADTGA), Ekta Nagar, the smart bus stops and 10 pick-up stands are part of Phase 1 of the project aimed at “streamlining traffic management and enhancing the beauty of the city”.

The SOUADTGA said, “Traffic circles have been constructed at Ekta Nagar Teen Rasta (Tiraha), Garudeshwar Chowk, in front of Children Nutrition Park and near Sahakar Bhawan at an expense of Rs 2.58 crore. For the safety of pedestrians, push button pedestrian crossings at 10 places in Ekta Nagar, car charging points near Reva Bhawan and running tracks for Rajya Rakshi Police Force (SRPF) will also be inaugurated.”

PM Modi also inaugurated the 50-bedded sub-district hospital — the first in the area — which has been constructed at Rs 22 crore and equipped with a trauma centre, Intensive Care Unit (ICU), gynaecology department and labour room, minor operation theatre, among other facilities. The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone for the hospital in October last year. Apart from the hospital, he will also inaugurate two ICUs on wheels.

An official said, “Considering the growing tourist footfall it was essential to have medical facilities in the vicinity. The hospital will also majorly benefit local people, who will no longer need to travel long distances to Vadodara or Rajpipla for medical treatments.”

In 2019, the Gujarat government notified the SOUADTGA for a “secured planned tourism development and governance in and around Kevadia”, the site of the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada. Eventually, Kevadia town and the railway station in it were renamed “Ektanagar”.

Officials say that the development of infrastructure and beautification is part of a phase-wise plan to prepare Ekta Nagar for the “increased tourist footfall”, which has been the pet project of Prime Minister Modi since the inauguration of the statue.

PM Modi also inaugurated the 50-bedded sub-district hospital — the first in the area.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone for a Bonsai Garden, a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), and an upcoming Sardar Sarovar Dam Experience Centre, to showcase the entire construction of the Narmada dam as well as its pioneering results. “The world-class Bonsai Garden will be built with the aim of sustainability, and the foundation stone of other projects will also be laid. Apart from this, an expansion of Miyawaki Forest and beautification of the helipad road is also among the upcoming projects at SoU,” the SOUADTGA said.

The STP is to be built at an expense of Rs 75 crore to dispose of the sewage water generated from about 4000 houses, government residences, and other hospitality businesses. Modi will also lay the foundation stone of Fire Staff Residential Quarters, the construction of a Satpura Protection Wall, and the development of a jetty.

Considering the damage caused by the floods of 2023, the protection wall near the Cactus Garden will be expanded in the upcoming days. “While giving protection to the cactus garden, tourists can also be provided with a riverfront, food stalls and walkway. At the same time, with the development of the jetty, transportation facilities will also increase,” the SOUADTGA said.

The SOUADTGA has also decided to “raise the level of the land” in Garudeshwar, which is earmarked as a Hospitality District and faces submergence due to floods from the Narmada River, at a cost of more than Rs 60 crore.

On Thursday, which marks the commencement of the 150th year of Sardar Patel’s birth anniversary, PM Modi will attend the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas Parade and also address the nation.