Dwarka: The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth more than Rs 4150 crores in Dwarka, Gujarat today. The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation Sudarshan Setu connecting Okha mainland and Beyt Dwarka, pipeline project at Vadinar and Rajkot-Okha, Rajkot-Jetalsar-Somnath and Jetalsar-Wansjaliya Rail Electrification projects. He laid the foundation stone for the widening of Dhoraji-Jamkandorna-Kalavad section of NH-927, Regional Science Center at Jamnagar and Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) system installation at Sikka Thermal Power Station, Jamnagar.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister bowed to the land of Lord Krishna Dwarka Mai, where he is placed as Dwarkadheesh. He recalled the prayers that he offered this morning at the temple and underlined the deep importance of the teerth in the religious life of the nation As Aadi Shankaracharya established one of the four ‘peeths’ i.e. Sharda peet. He also mentioned the glory of Nageshwar Jyotirling, Rukmani Devi Mandir. He also remembered his recent opportunities to visit many places of faith in the course of ‘Rashtra Kaaj’. The Prime Minister talked about the unforgettable moment when today he went down the depths of the sea to offer prayers at the submerged city of Dwarka. The Prime Minister dwelled on the archaeological and scriptural importance. He mentioned the belief that the Dwarka was constructed by Bhagwan Vishwakarma himself. The City of Dwarka, the Prime Minister said, was an example of great town planning. “As I descended to the submerged city a sense of grandeur of divinity engulfed me. I offered my prayers and I offered peacock feathers which I had carried with me. This was a fullfilment of the desire that was there for years. Since the time I heard about the submerged city of Dwarka, I always wanted to go and have Darshan”, the Prime Minister said, overwhelmed with the divine experience. Emphasizing that visuals of India’s potential in the 21st century kept appearing before him when he was offering prayers at the submerged city of Dwarka, the Prime Minister said it has further strengthened his resolve for the creation of a Viksit Bharat.

The Prime Minister mentioned inaugurating Sudarshan Setu earlier in the day and recalled laying its foundation stone 6 years ago. He informed that the bridge will connect Okha mainland and Beyt Dwarka island, thereby increasing connectivity for Dwarkadheesh’s darshan while also adding to the divinity of the region. Highlighting the confidence to inaugurate the projects whose foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister himself, he said, “This is Modi’s guarantee.” Terming Sudarshan Setu an engineering marvel, the Prime Minister called upon the engineering fraternity to analyze the bridge and its technicalities as he congratulated the citizens on the inauguration.

Highlighting the difficulties faced by the citizens of Dwarka and Beyt Dwarka due to dependence on ferries and long road travels while also being troubled by the closure of ferry services during high tides, the Prime Minister recalled the people’s request for a bridge during his time as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. He expressed delight that the work taken up by present Chief Minister Shri Bhupendra Patel has been accomplished and lauded his resolve.

PM Modi pointed out that his constant requests for sanctioning the bridge to the then central government kept getting denied and thanked his fortunes for finally getting the work done today. “With the blessings of Lord Shri Krishna, I followed his directions and fulfilled my responsibility”, an elated Prime Minister said. He drew attention to the fact that the electricity consumption for lighting the bridge will be generated from the solar panels fitted to it. He informed that Sudarshan Setu has a total of 12 tourist galleries giving an expansive view of the ocean. “I visited these galleries today and it is indeed Sudarshaniya”, PM Modi added.

The Prime Minister praised the commitment of the people of Dwarka towards the Swachhta Mission and asked them to maintain the level of cleanliness that is getting worldwide attention.

Recalling opposition to his guarantee of New India, the Prime Minister said that people are seeing the emergence of New India right in front of their eyes. He said that this was not accomplished earlier due to a lack of political will and unwillingness to help the poor due to selfish considerations of dynasty politics. This kept the size of the economy small for the grand goals of a Viksit Bharat, he said. He also criticized recurring scams that used to take place during earlier regimes.

The Prime Minister recalled his promise of not letting anyone loot the country when he was elected to power in 2014. “Scams worth thousands of crores which used to take place during the previous governments have all been stopped now”, he remarked, underlining that the nation has leapfrogged to become the 5th largest economy in 10 years. As a result, the Prime Minister said, one can witness the reemergence of places of divine faith and pilgrimage on one hand while the development of new India through mega projects on the other. He gave examples of the Sudarshan Setu, India’s longest cable-based in Gujarat, the country’s longest sea bridge in Mumbai, the magnificent bridge built on Chenab in Jammu and Kashmir, the under-construction New Pamban Bridge which is India’s first vertical lift bridge in Tamil Nadu and India’s longest river bridge in Assam. “Such modern connectivity is the way to build a prosperous and strong nation”, he added.

Highlighting the importance of connectivity for the growth of tourism in the country, the Prime Minister illustrated the point by elaborating Gujarat becoming a hub of tourism due to improved connectivity. Talking about the new attraction of Gujarat, the Prime Minister said that today, there are 22 sanctuaries and 4 national parks in Gujarat. Thousands of years old port city Lothal is discussed all over the world. Today Ahmedabad city, Rani Ki Vav, Champaner and Dholavira have become World Heritage. Shivrajpuri is a blue flag beach in Dwarka. Asia’s longest ropeway is in Girnar. Gir forest is the only habitat of the Asiatic Lion. The World’s tallest statue, Sardar Saheb’s Statue of Unity is in Ekta Nagar. Today a fair of tourists from all over the world are organized during Ranotsav. Dhordo village of Kutch is counted among the best tourist villages in the world. Nadabet is becoming an important center of patriotism and tourism.

He pointed out that in line with the mantra of ‘Vikas bhi Virasat bhi’, centers of faith are being upgraded. Facilities have been developed in all important pilgrimage sites such as Dwarka, Somnath, Pavagadh, Modhera and Ambaji. He said every fifth tourist that visited India visited Gujarat. Last year about 15.5 lakh tourists came to Gujarat till August. e-Visa facilities are also bringing tourists to Gujarat, he said.

“Land of Saurashtra is a huge example of accomplishment through resolve”, the Prime Minister said, emphasizing how every visit to the region instills new energy. Recalling the tough times when the people of Saurashtra yearned for every drop of water and were forced to migrate, the Prime Minister threw light on SAUNI Yojana which commissioned the laying of pipelines for 1300 kilometers for water supply to hundreds of villages in Saurashtra for irrigation and drinking. Concluding the address, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the entire region of Saurashtra along with Gujarat, will reach new heights of success in the coming years. “Blessings of Dwarkadhish are upon us. Together we will make Viksit Saurashtra and Viksit Gujarat”, PM Modi concluded.

Chief Minister of Gujarat, Shri Bhupendra Patel and Member of Parliament, Shri C R Patil were present on the occasion among others.

Background

The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation, Sudarshan Setu connecting Okha mainland and Beyt Dwarka island built at a cost of around Rs. 980 crores. It is the longest Cable-stayed bridge in the country around 2.32 Km.

Sudarshan Setu boasts a unique design, featuring a footpath adorned with verses from Shrimad Bhagavad Gita and images of Bhagwan Krishna on both sides. It also has solar panels installed on the upper portions of the footpath, generating one megawatt of electricity. This bridge will ease transportation and significantly reduce the time of devotees travelling between Dwarka and Beyt-Dwarka. Before the bridge’s construction, pilgrims had to rely on boat transport to reach Beyt Dwarka. This iconic bridge will also be a major tourist attraction of Devbhumi Dwarka.

The Prime Minister dedicated pipeline project at Vadinar involving the replacement of existing offshore lines, abandoning the existing Pipeline End Manifold (PLEM), and relocating the entire system (pipelines, the PLEMs and the interconnecting loop line) at a nearby new location. The Prime Minister also dedicated Rajkot-Okha, Rajkot-Jetalsar-Somnath and Jetalsar-Wansjaliya Rail Electrification projects to the nation.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the widening of Dhoraji-Jamkandorna-Kalavad section of NH-927D; Regional Science Center at Jamnagar; Flue Gas Desulphurization (FGD) system installation at Sikka Thermal Power Station, Jamnagar among others.