The Gujarat government, under the Prime Minister’s Gati Shakti Scheme, has proposed a new 1,630-kilometre-long coastal corridor, from Umargam in the south to Narayan Sarovar in Kutch. Under this proposal, the government has said that a buffer area must be allotted along the highway so that it can be used for industrial activities. The government has drafted a plan for the first 300 kilometre of the corridor that will cover Bharuch, Navsari, Surat, and Valsad districts.
The government proposes to set aside a buffer area along the highway for industrial and allied activities. The government has already earmarked the first 300 km covering Valsad, Navsari, Surat and Bharuch districts.
In January this year, a meeting of the Gujarat Cabinet held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel approved a slew of infrastructure projects to develop tourism, including an ambitious Rs 2,440 crore coastal highway project.
Giving details, Education Minister Jitubhai Vaghani who is also the spokesperson for the State Government told reporters that tourist circuits would be developed along the coastal highways in the State. “To develop tourist destinations of South Gujarat and Saurashtra, coastal highways will be developed at the cost of Rs2,440 crore,” he added.
The 135-km coastal highway will connect Tithal, Chorwad, and Ubhrat. A new link connecting Khambhat, Kamatlao, Ambli, and Patiya will reduce traffic on the roads leading to Bhavnagar and Saurashtra road. It will also reduce the distance by 70 to 80 kilometres.
