Gandhinagar: The new Gujarati Vikram Samvat calendar year 2080 will be full of lot of new developments for Gujarat. The year will see heightened political activities in connection with the upcoming national general elections of Lok Sabha. As always, the Prime Minister is expected to inaugurate a range of development projects ahead of the implementation of the model code of conduct in the first half of the next year.

The year will see further progress in the works for the Surat Metro rail project and the Ahmedabad Metro rail project phase-2 realizing long-pending Ahmedabad to Gandhinagar connectivity. A new diamond bourse in Surat is going to open this year. The Statue of Unity tourist site will have furthermore addition of tourist attractions. It may also see operations of hydrogen-run buses from Vadodara.

More Ropax ferry service routes are expected to start this year. All work on flyovers on the Ahmedabad – Gandhinagar route at SG highway is likely to be completed this year. Similarly, few other highway works including that of Ghaduli – Santalpur, Ahmedabad – Rajkot widening, and Mota Chiloda – Shamlaji are likely to be completed this year. A journey from Ahmedabad to Udaipur is likely to be smoother and speedier with the completion of the electrification of the railway line and the launching of express trains.

Works for All India Institute for Medical Sciences (AIIMS) hospital in Rajkot are going to be completed this year. The campus of the Indian Institute of Skills may be readied this year at Nasmed near Ahmedabad. Operations of more Vande Bharat Express are likely this year along with Vande Bharat Metro and Vande Bharat sleeper and Vande Sadharan trains. A hydrogen run train is likely to be operationalized in South Gujarat. The Vibrant Gujarat Summit will shine further with Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi himself as a guiding force.

Ahmedabad city may find some benefits of extended Riverfront, as phase-2 works are ongoing speedily. The city may also see the closure of the portion of Ashram Road due to ongoing Gandhi Ashram development works. Science City in Ahmedabad will see works for new galleries already announced by the Chief Minister. Surat airport will have a new terminal, which is likely to be inaugurated in December 2023. Works on the Tapi riverfront are likely to start on the ground this year.

The works of construction of a lot of stations and bridges of the Ahmedabad – Mumbai High Speed Rail project (bullet train project) is likely to be completed this year. A major task of building the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor will be completed this year. It will transform the rail operation scenario in the State. The Ahmedabad-Dholera expressway project is going to be completed this year. It is expected that most works on the Gujarat stretch of the Delhi-Mumbai expressway project will be completed this year. So far Vadodara-Ankleshwar stretch is done. Its inauguration is likely to take place soon. The stretch will provide expressway road connectivity from the Madhya Pradesh border to Godhra to Vadodara – Bharuch – Ankleshwar – Kim – Surat up to Vapi and then to Mumbai.

A new iconic sea bridge connecting Okha to Bet Dwarka will be inaugurated this year. With this, the ancient pilgrim island Bet Dwarka will for the first time get road connectivity. The works on the Deesa forward airbase of the Indian Air Force(IAF) will start this year. Naliya on North Western corner of Kutch will get rail connectivity. Works on the Shri Devbhumi Dwarka corridor are likely to start this year. Phase 1 of the National Maritime Museum at Lothal is likely to be completed this year.

Pavagadh Mandir may see up to the top ropeway connectivity this year. Google may foray into GIFT City with its Fintech centre this year. Reliance’s green energy foray through its Jamnagar plant may see further momentum this year. Works on the proposed aircraft manufacturing plant of Tata-Airbus may achieve advanced status on the ground this year in Vadodara. If court battle paves the way, works on the Chotila ropeway project may start this year. Completion of the ring road around Surat is likely this year. Reconstruction of Ahmedabad’s railway station is likely to kick off this year. A new airport in Rajkot will get its permanent terminal by the middle of this year.

India is expected to bid for hosting the Olympic games in Ahmedabad in the year 2036 this year. Rollout of Project Lion is expected this year for Gir lions. India’s first semiconductor plant by Micron is expected to be operational this year in Sanand. DeshGujarat