Ekta Nagar (Gujarat), Sep 22 : Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting and Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw on Tuesday visited the Statue of Unity in Ekta Nagar, where the 72nd National Film Awards ceremony was held. He paid floral tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
Vaishnaw visited the viewing gallery of the world's tallest statue and saw the Narmada River, the Satpura and Vindhyachal ranges and the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Dam.
He also received information on the management and facilities at the Statue of Unity and various tourism projects in Ekta Nagar.
In his remarks in the visitor's book, Vaishnaw said India's present political form resulted from Patel's efforts and that his “tireless efforts, far-sighted thinking and decisive policies” helped overcome the challenges before the country in 1947.
“Sardar Saheb gave us the dream of removing the distortions that had crept into our thousands of years-old civilisation and building a new prosperous and strong India,” he said.
He added that the present generation is responsible for making India a developed country.
The visit came as Ekta Nagar hosted the National Film Awards for the first time outside New Delhi.
Vaishnaw said the government is looking at taking the ceremony to prominent tourist destinations across the country, linking the National Film Awards with locations of tourism importance.
He also called on states to nominate tourist destinations for future editions of the ceremony.
During the visit, Statue of Unity Area Development and Tourism Regulatory Authority chairman and Narmada Nigam chairman and managing director Mukesh Puri presented Vaishnaw with a memento and photograph and briefed him on tourism projects in the area.
Statue of Unity chief executive officer Amit Arora, deputy conservator of forests Prasad Ravi Radhakrishnan and other officials were also present.
Vaishnaw also updated on the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail project, saying the first section between Surat and Vapi is targeted for completion by December this year.
He said, "The bullet train being manufactured and developed in India would subsequently be brought onto the tracks for extensive testing. Work on the train's car body, bogie, propulsion system, vehicle electronics, and wheels has progressed, while integration with the pantograph and overhead electrical system is also underway. The train's car body and bogie are ready, while the manufactured train is undergoing tests to assess the strength of its body."
The minister also said work on the undersea tunnel between the Bandra Kurla Complex and Thane is progressing, with the required shafts and preparatory work for tunnel boring machines completed.
Construction of stations and bridges along the corridor is also advancing. The Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail corridor is planned over 508 km through Gujarat, Maharashtra and Dadra and Nagar Haveli, with 12 stations.
Official data released earlier this year showed substantial progress on viaduct, girder, track-bed and overhead electrification works.
Gujarat: Ashwini Vaishnaw honours Patel at Statue of Unity
