Ahmedabad, 11 February 2013

Admiring Japanese punctuality, Gujarat minister for Energy and Tourism Saurabh Patel today said he has worked with many companies that clarity that Japanese firms have is just excellent.

Saurabh Patel gave an example of Maruti Suzuki and said, “other companies discuss for exemptions and benefits from the government even after confirmation of their investment, but Maruti Suzuki once confirmed the site in Gujarat for its car manufacturing plant, never ever said even for once that what the state would offer them in return.”

“Such a level of confidence in the state government can be found only in a Japanese company,” Patel who was Industry minister when Maruti Suzuki took decision to set up plant in Gujarat said in an inaugural function of Jaykrishna Harivallabhdas AMA centre for Indo-Japanese Relations in Ahmedabad on Monday.

Saurabh Patel talked about major projects coming up in Gujarat in partnership with Japan. He said, “today we think big, and therefore we we have this Dholera project which is planned over 900 sq km land. It will be the biggest industrial, residential, entertainment zone where in next twenty years, two million people will be living.”

Minister Patel also talked about Rs 200 crore desalination plant in Dahej with capacity to process 17 million gallon water per day. He also spoke about Delhi-Mumbai corridor and Bechraji township project.

On Bechraji township project he said, “Maruti Suzuki is going to set up a car manufacturing plant in Bechraji. We are planning a Japanese township in cooperation with Japan in Bechraji belt. We have given a map to Japanese company Kajima to suggest a potential area for the development of a New Japan.”

Saurabh Patel showed government’s willingness to promote Japanese language in Gujarat and offered all help from the state government to a new Centre established on Indo-Japanese Relations.