Hon’ble Prime Minister Inaugurated Infrastructure Development Projects and Laid the Foundation of Parvatimata Temple in Somnath Gujarat
Sh. Narendra Modi, Hon’ble Prime Minister
of India at 11.00 AM today via virtual platform dedicated to the nation the
Promenade created at Shree Somnathji temple under PRASHAD Scheme of the
Ministry of Tourism Hon’ble Prime Minister also inaugurated the “Exhibition
Gallery” created by the State Government of Gujarat in the Tourism Facilitation
Centre constructed under the completed project “Development of Pilgrimage
Amenities” under PRASHAD Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism.
The Hon’ble Prime Minister also
inaugurated the recently reconstructed temple precinct of Juna Somnath recently
completed by Shree Somnath Trust with a total outlay of INR 3.5 Crore. Key interventions created include Ramp for
Universal Accessibility, Sitting Arrangement and Courtyard, 15 Shops, 2 Halls
and Lift Shaft.
On this occasion the Hon’ble Prime
Minister also laid the foundation stone of Shree Parvatimata Temple with a
total proposed outlay of INR 30 Crore.
This auspicious event was joined by Sh.
L. K. Advani, Veteran Leader and Trustee Shree Somnath Trust, Sh. Amit Shah
(Union Minister of Home Affairs and Cooperation), Sh. Shripad Yesso Naik
(Minister of State of Tourism and Ports, Shipping & Waterways), Sh. Vijay
Rupani (Chief Minister, Gujarat), Shri Nitinbhai Patel (Dy. Chief Minister
Gujarat), Sh. Jawahar Chawda (Minister of Tourism, State Government of Gujarat)
and Sh. Vasan Ahir (Minister of State of Tourism, State Government of Gujarat),
Shri Rajeshbhai Chudasama, Member of Parliament, Junagadh and Shri P.K. Laheri,
Trustee - Secretary, Shree Somnath Trust. The event was conducted by Shri
Arvind Singh, Secretary, Ministry of Tourism. During the event, a film was
presented showcasing the various developmental infrastructure projects that are
undertaken in Somnath.
Tourism, Travel And Hospitality has been
identified as a key sector of the 5 T’s identified by the Hon’ble Prime
Minister. While addressing the gathering virtually, Hon’ble Prime Minister
emphasised on the importance of tourism in the country. How our ancestors have
understood the importance and role of tourism centuries ago and developed many
places which were connected with our belief. He further mentioned about the
‘Development of Iconic Tourist Destinations' Scheme of Ministry of Tourism. 19
destinations have been identified across the nation and the development of this
sites will boost the tourism industry. Prime Minister spoke about the Sabka
Sath Sabka Prayas and Sabka Vikas. Tourism is connecting the common man of the
country. Prime Minister amplified on the idea of adjoining tourism, pilgrimage
and modernity to give way to an effective development. He further highlighted
the importance of such developments in helping the upcoming generations in
having a better understanding of ancient culture. Hon’ble Prime Minister talked
about the consistent efforts of great leader of our country Dr. Rajendra Prasad
& Sardar Vallabhai Patel for realizing the dream of developing the Somnath
Temple. The idea of #Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat that connect the entire nation.
Hon’ble Prime Minister expressed his
satisfaction on the significant improvement in the ranking of India in the
Tourism and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) of 2019 by World Economic
Forum wherein India ranked at 34th Position owing to its advancement of
tourism. Prime Minister also spoke about the development of Ramayana Circuit
under Swadesh Darshan Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism which relates to the
life of Lord Ram. Similarly he mentioned about Buddha Circuit which provides
facilities to the devotees visiting from across the world. The importance of
Spiritual Tourism in the country was talked. Prime Minister mentioned about 40
Projects of PRASHAD wherein 15 have been totally completed. Further he
emphasised on the inclusion of tourism guides as part of the tourism
infrastructure to facilitate better understanding of destination to the
tourists and generates employment. Granting of E-visa in various categories and
reduction in the visa fees have augmented the tourism growth in the country.
The ‘National Mission on
Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’ (PRASHAD)
was launched by the Ministry of Tourism in the year 2014-15 with the objective
of integrated development of identified pilgrimage and heritage destinations. The concept of universal access is the first
and foremost dimension is being taken care of while finalizing and executing
the projects under the scheme. The
scheme aimed at creation of pilgrimage / religious and heritage tourism
infrastructure development at the destinations. At present total 37 projects in
24 states (including 15 completed projects) are approved with estimated cost of
Rs. 1214.19 crore and a total amount of Rs. 675.89 crore has been released for
these projects under the scheme.
The
project “Development of Pilgrimage Amenities at Somnath, Gujarat under PRASHAD
Scheme” was approved by the Ministry of Tourism with the cost of Rs. 45.36
crores in March 2017. The components
viz. ‘Parking Area Development’, ‘Tourist Facilitation Centre’ and ‘Solid Waste
Management’ have been successfully executed and dedicated to the nation in July
2020. The project has been successfully
completed providing world class pilgrimage tourism infrastructure including the
facilities for cloak room, public convenience, waiting halls, rooms for
children, specially-able, parking for cars, buses and two wheelers, disposal /
segregation of solid waste management, Medical Facilities, souvenir shops,
Traditional Shops, Refreshment House, Library, Meeting Hall, Multi-purpose
Room, Senior Citizen Room, Satsang House, Drinking Water, dedicated parking,
Solar Power House, landscaping etc. In
the Tourist Facilitation Centre constructed under this scheme, the Exhibition
Galary inaugurated today has been developed by Shree Somnath Trust.
The
development works of Juna Somnath Mandir Premises include a ramp for universal
access, Courty Yard, sitting arrangements for the pilgrims, 15 shops, lift and
two large halls with an expenditure of Rs. 3.5 crore by Shree Somnath Trust.
The
proposed Parvatimata Mandir in Shree Somnath Temple premises would be a grand
structure with an area of 1650 Met2 and 71 Ft. hight using Aras Stones from
Ambaji, Banaskantha. There would be 44
poles, as were there in the original temple, which would be created using
Marble with an artistic way. The core
Garbh Grih of the Madir contais the land of 380 Met2, and Dance Mandap
spreading 1250 Met2.
New
projects under pipeline for the State of Gujarat under PRASHAD Scheme are:
Development of Pilgrimage Amenities at Maa Ambaji Temple, Banaskantha and
Development of Public Plaza / Entry Plaza at Somnath.
The
Public Plaza/Entry Plaza would be state of art facility to manage the pilgrim’s
movement and regulate the pedestrian movement in the temple premises. The state
of art facility hosts parking facility for specially abled citizens and
emergency vehicles (ambulance and firefighting). The entry plaza building will
host facilities like rest rooms, cloak rooms, cafeteria, and other public
facilities like gender-based toilets and pilgrims’ que complex with canopy to
regulate crowd during peak time. The location of facility has been proposed in
cognizance with the Master Plan prepared under Iconic Destination Development
scheme (IDDS). Under the project for
Ambaji Temple, basic pilgrimage tourism infrastructure like Tourist Facility
Centre, Parking, Public Amenities, Cloack Room, development of stairs at Gabbar
Hill and other facilities are likely to be developed.
Development
of Somnath has been proposed as one of the iconic tourism destinations by the
Ministry of Tourism under its Integrated Destination Development Scheme (IDDS)
for development of components such as Prabhas Patan Museum, Tourist Amenities,
Haat etc. A few regional interventions
such as Keshod Airport, improvement of NH-51, development of Sea Plane services
etc. for providing improved connectivity to Somnath, ensuring a comprehensive
and broad development of the entire region are also proposed under this under
consideration project.
In addition to above,
following projects under Swadesh Dharshan Scheme of the Ministry of Tourism
have been approved for the State Government of Gujarat:
Name of the Circuit |
Name of the Project |
Approved Cost (Cr. Rs. ) |
Funds released (Cr. Rs.) |
Physical Progress |
Heritage Circuit |
Development of Ahmedabad- Rajkot- Porbandar
–Bardoli- Dandi (2016-17) |
59.17 |
54.79 |
95% |
Heritage Circuit |
Development of Vadnagar- Modhera (2016-17) |
91.84 |
87.25 |
98% |
Buddhist circuit |
Development of Junagadh- Gir Somnath- Bharuch-Kutch- Bhavnagar-
Rajkot- Mehsana ( 2017-18 ) |
28.67 |
19.21 |
93% |
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