PM Begins 2-Day Gujarat Visit Today: Modi Wave of Infra Projects to Sway Poll-bound Home State

The world’s first Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) terminal and a Regional Science Centre at Bhavnagar, Ahmedabad Metro to a Gandhi Nagar-Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Gujarat starting September 29 will bring along a slew of projects to the poll-bound state.

The state will also see frequent visits by the PM and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the coming days.

ON DAY 1

On Thursday, the PM will be in Bhavnagar to lay the foundation stone of the world’s first CNG terminal. The Gujarat Maritime Board has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Foresight Group during the Vibrant Gujarat global business summit in 2019.

The port will be developed at a cost of Rs 4,024 crore and will have state-of-the art infrastructure. Officials said it was the PM’s vision to make Bhavnagar a hub of projects such as vehicle scrapping, container manufacturing, along with development of Dholera Special Investment Region. This terminal will meet Bhavnagar’s need for clean energy. The port will generate employment for up to 1,100 people and increase ancillary port-related job opportunities. The construction of this port is scheduled to begin from 2023 and it will be operational by 2026.

Apart from this, the PM is set to inaugurate the Regional Science Centre in Bhavnagar which will also benefit Saurashtra. It will promote scientific study and research in marine aquatic species. Its automobile gallery will have workshop spaces for students to get hands-on training on engines. There will be other galleries such as the Nobel Prize gallery dedicated to the winners in the field of physiology and medicine, one for electro mechanics with Tesla, Maglev and bullet train working models, and one for biology.

The PM will also inaugurate Aawadkrupa Plastomech Pvt Ltd container, which is part of the government’s Make in India scheme.

Modi is scheduled to visit the Ambaji temple and is likely to make an announcement post that.

The PM will also inaugurate the 36th national games.

Senior leaders in the party said that the PM has a vision to promote scientific education in the region while making it a manufacturing hub, which explains the projects.

ON DAY 2

On Friday, PM Modi will inaugurate the first phase of the Ahmedabad Metro project and flag off the Gandhi Nagar-Mumbai Central Vande Bharat Express from Gandhinagar Railway Station, along with Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister of State for Railways Darshana Jardosh.

India’s first indigenously developed train will operate between Gandhinagar and Mumbai. The trial run of the express was successful. The train is equipped with the ‘KAVACH’ technique (train collision avoidance system). It is an automatic protection system that prevents two trains from colliding. This technique has been developed in India itself, thereby reducing the overall cost.

The Union Government, in its Budget 2022, announced a 2,000-km rail network under the ‘KAVACH’ technique. Vaishnaw conducted a successful test-run of the project, which costs 50% less than the imported models, thus realising the PM’s commitment towards Make in India products.

The indigenously developed semi-high-speed train will attain a speed from 0-100 km within 52 seconds. The train is equipped with sliding footsteps, touch-free sliding doors and automated plug doors. The Coach Control Management System will regulate the temperature. The GSM/GPRS will be used for communication and feedback with Control Centre and maintenance staff.

“There are special toilets for divyangs. Touch-free bio-vacuum toilets have been installed for other passengers. Similarly, seat numbers are also designed in Braille for the visually challenged. The train has Level-II Safety Integration Certification, rear-view camera and four platform side cameras, aspirating smoke detector and suppression system, electrical cubicles, aerosol-based fire detection and suppress system in washrooms,” informed a senior official.

Another ambitious project the PM will cover will be the inauguration of Phase-I of the Ahmedabad Metro. Officials say the Metro will commence operations within two days of the inauguration. The first phase was completed at a cost of Rs 12,000 crore, 910 lakh man days of employment and has 96 coaches, 129 lifts, 161 escalators and 126 entry/exit points.

THE EAST-WEST CONNECT

The Metro will cover 21 km while connecting the Thaltej Apparel Park. The Thaltej-Vastral route on the East-West corridor has 17 stations. This corridor also has a 6.6-km underground section with four stations.

The stations on the East-West corridor are Thaltej, Doordarshan Kendra, Gurukul Road, Gujarat University, Commerce Six Roads, SP Stadium, Old High Court, Shahpur, Gheekanta, Kalupur Railway Station, Kankaria (East), Apparel Park, Amraiwadi, Rabari Colony, Vastral, Nirant Crossroad, and Vastral Gaam.

The 19-km North-South corridor that connects APMC to Motera Stadium has 15 stations.

The second phase of the Metro project will connect the state capital of Gandhinagar with Ahmedabad, which will essentially be the expansion of the first phase. This phase will have two corridors, including a 22.8-km one from Motera Stadium to Mahatma Mandir with 20 stations and a 5.4-km route from Gujarat National Law University to GIFT City with two stations.

The phase-II will be on an elevated route.

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