Sabarmati riverfront, a model for India: Uma Bharti

GANDHINAGAR: Union water resources minister Uma Bharti wants prominent cities located on banks of rivers to replicate Ahmedabad’s Sabarmati riverfront model.
At a recent ‘Jal Manthan’ meeting in the national capital last week which was attended by water resources secretaries of all the states besides top officials of her ministry, the minister praised the Sabarmati riverfront which she had visited in September this year.
Sources said that she was, however, dejected that the model cannot be replicated in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency Varanasi or in the pilgrim city of Haridwar. She told those present that this was not possible as these two cities already have ancient ghats dotting one side of the Ganges which passes through them. She was of the opinion that a riverfront like that on the Sabarmati can definitely be made in Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh.
“The minister asked the representatives to at least take a leaf from the Sabarmati model. She said that if the entire riverfront cannot be developed in their cities, they can at least develop portions on the lines of Sabarmati Riverfront and have the facilities that have been developed in Ahmedabad. She was not in favour of a cut and paste job but wanted various cities to have something that can be replicated from the Sabarmati model,” sources said.
“In her speech, she said that initially the Centre used to wonder how to develop Indian river banks like the Thames in London or Seine riverfront in Paris but now they just have to model their banks on the ones at Sabarmati,” sources said.
The minister visited Sabarmati riverfront during her visit to Siddhpur in North Gujarat and Ahmedabad in September.