Rs 25-crore plan for a green Dandi
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02/08/2010
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Times Of India (Ahmedabad)
Himanshu Kaushik | TNN
Gandhinagar: Union minister for environment and forest Jairam Ramesh unveiled an ambitious Rs 25-crore plan to develop Dandi as a green zone and ecofriendly tourist destination. But, the fact is that this town, which shot into limelight when the Congress celebrated 75 years of the Dandi March in 2005 by re-staging it from Ahmedabad to Dandi, still needs a facelift.
Gujarat tourism department, in association with the Union government, has plans to have a satyagrah chowk, library, conference hall, among others. About 105 hectares of land has already been acquired for the purpose of development.
The Saifee Villa where Mahatma Gandhi spent the night of April 5, 1930, the eve of the historic day when he broke the Salt Act, will be renovated by Archaeological Survey of India. Officials said ASI is working on conserving the villa and converting it into a museum. The idea is to restore its original look. Gandhi had walked out of the villa on the morning of April 6, 1930, picked up a fistful of crude salt from the beach marking the protest. The tourism department has proposed to construct a walkway connecting Saifee Villa and the sea.
A centre will be developed where visitors can meditate and sing bhajans, especially