Girnar Parvat Ropeway Project Junagadh Tourism Gujarat India

The proposed ropeway will have 18 cabins, each with a capacity of 8 people.

The treasury and opposition benches appeared to be united in the state Assembly on Friday over the issue of construction of a ropeway over the Girnar hills.

The place is home to dozens of Hindu and Jain temples where lakhs of people from the Gujarat State and outside visit every year.

During the discussions on the issue after a question raised by BJP MLA Kanubhai Bhalana, Gujarat State Congress President and Dabhoi MLA Siddharth Patel said it is a project of vital importance for the development of Junagadh City District.

He said the project has found support from local trade and commerce organizations as well as social and cultural bodies. Patel said his party would support the government on the issue of development.

Leader of the Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil said he had personally taken up the matter with the Union Forests and Environment Minister, urging him to give clearance to the project soon.

Thanking the Congress members for their support, Gujarat State Tourism Minister Jay Narayan Vyas said the project was started in July 1994. Usha Breco Limited was given the assignment to implement it at the cost of Rs 89.31 crore. The company, he said, had to construct it at its own cost and give annual royalty to the government. The royalty amount was to increase every five years.

However, the project, he said, could not take off because the Centre did not give permission owing to environmental issues.

He expressed the hope that the project would see the light of day with all political parties backing it. He said the ropeway would have 18 cabins, each with a capacity of eight people. As many as 2,000 people would be able to travel by it in one hour, he added.

Saurashtra-Sorath Kathiyavad News Samachar Gujarat India

MP demands statehood for Saurashtra, Gujarat Congress says its personal opinion.

Even as Congress’ Porbandar MP Vithal Radadiya has demanded a separate state of Saurashtra, the state Congress has washed its hands off the issue.

Senior party leaders in Ahmedabad made it clear that it’s Radadiya’s personal opinion and the party would discuss the matter with him.

Two days after the UPA government gave its nod for a separate state of Telangana, Radadiya said: “I will formally represent the matter before the Center next week. We will do everything required to make the proposal.”

The Saurashtra Lokhit Sangathan Samiti, which was led by a former Congress minister, Mansukh Joshi from Rajkot City, had raised the issue for the first time many years ago.

According to Radadiya, the region consisting of seven districts — Rajkot, Porbandar, Junagadh, Jamnagar, Amreli, Surendranagar and Bhavnagar — has never been accorded just treatment.

Even though the region makes the biggest contribution to the exchequer, it has not seen much development. Barring petrochemical refineries in Jamnagar, the rest of the region is still industrially underdeveloped, he said, adding that the state government cannot take credit for Jamnagar’s development.

Whatever development has taken place in Kutch is due to foreign aid and tax holidays announced after the 2001 earthquake, his added. The MP said: “Even though the region’s economy is largely dependent on agriculture, there is still no proper irrigation facility. Besides, the future development of industries is limited between Vapi and Ahmedabad and not in Saurashtra.”

Bhavnagar MLA, Shaktisinh Gohil, who is also a Congress strongman from Saurashtra, refused to comment on the issue.

State party president Siddharth Patel called it Radadiya’s personal view not shared by the party.

Junagadh City News Samachar Gujarat India

“BJP’s ban on Jaswant’s book improper, ineffective”, said Congress.

Gujarat Congress president Siddharth Patel termed the ban imposed by the state government on Jaswant Singh’s book on Partition as improper. Patel criticized the government’s decision while touring Saurashtra for the forthcoming Assembly by-polls. Patel accused BJP of double standards on the issue of ban on Singh’s book saying it has no impact anywhere.

“Whatever is going on in BJP is certainly going to affect national and state politics as well. We are heading towards gaining power in Gujarat,” said Patel during his brief stay at Junagadh on Saturday while campaigning for Kodinar by-polls.

He told The Indian Express: “Putting a ban on Jaswant Singh’s book is improper. In fact, BJP and its leaders need to change their ideology. BJP will have no impact anywhere in Gujarat or outside.”

At present, the Congress holds six of the seven Assembly seats that go for the by-polls. Patel said Congress intends to win all the seven seats. Earlier in the day, Patel inaugurated the Congress candidate’s central election office in Kodinar town in Junagadh district. “Our top priority is to win all seven assembly seats for which by-elections are scheduled next month,” he said.

Terming the Congress victory in the Junagadh Municipal Corporation election held recently as a significant success for the party, he said, “The BJP could not digest the defeat. Success in the JMC election will make much difference in the days to come.”

The Congress leader also drew attention to the fact that of the elections for 36 seats in various municipalities across the state, the Congress has already won four seats uncontested.

“For the first time, the BJP is unable to find candidates in the urban areas” he said.