Gandhi heritage projects victim of Centre-state cold war

GANDHINAGAR: Projects for developing Sabarmati Ashram and the Dandi heritage route are stuck due to political ball game going on for the last eight years between the Narendra Modi-led Gujarat government and UPA government at the Centre. The estimated cost of the two projects is Rs 2,400 crore.
The plans of developing Dandi heritage route have not witnessed any progress for long and the general impression is that both the state and central governments have lost interest in it.Following an announcement by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in 2005, Ahmedabad-Dandi route was declared as National Highway 228 in 2006, but proposals for second phase, (estimated cost Rs 2,013 crore) have been pending ever since.
Additional secretary, roads and building department, P N Jain said, "The Centre has asked for a no-objection certificate from the state for developing a heritage highway 25 km away from the real Dandi Yatra route, to suit the current standards of national highways. We have requested them to stick to the original route for maintaining the sanctity of the project.''
The first phase of the Rs 150-crore project was over in 2009-10 but there has hardly been any progress thereafter. Modi had written to the PM in January 2011, asking for expediting the project. This year, too, he asked Gujarat MPs to raise the issue in Parliament.
The Gujarat government, which recently restored the historic Dandi Pul in Ahmedabad after a high court order, had submitted a "Revitalization Plan for Gandhi Ashram Area" in July 2009, and demanded around Rs 287 crore from the Centre. But the latter did not show any interest and the state government too appears to have forgotten the project.
The project plan was prepared by Cept University head and famous architect B V Doshi. Under the project, the government had planned to declare Sabarmati Ashram area 'silent zone', besides addressing issues like abuse of heritage structure, lack of consolidated public space around the historic building, and lack of basic infrastructure.
Managing director of Tourism Corporation of Gujarat Limited Sanjay Kaul said, "The plan is still pending with the Union tourism ministry and we are awaiting the final nod."