Dandi to get 'rightful' place with heritage project

The village from where Mahatma Gandhi shook the foundation of the British empire by breaking a salt tax law, 79 years ago, is all set to get its ‘rightful’ place in history with the starting of the ‘heritage route project’. The salt march, which culminated at Dandi where Gandhiji picked up a fistful of salt from sea in a symbolic breach of the British law in 1930, was one of the momentous events in the country’s freedom struggle.

The sleepy village of Dandi in Navsari district will adore a new look with the Centre-funded project aimed at developing the march route from Sabarmati Ashram to Dandi. Gandhiji started his marathon 386-km march from Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad on March 12, 1930 and reached here on April 6 with his supporters.

After his 25-day march, the Father of the Nation broke the law to protest the imposition of tax on salt by the British Government. Development of Dandi, blessed with a scenic beach, a popular tourist attraction, has been included in the plan. Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways K H Muniyappa recently inaugurated the ‘Sabarmati to Dandi heritage route’ project to be implemented by the Gujarat government.

As a part of the development project, undertaken by the Tourism Corporation of Gujarat, a national memorial will be build on the beach. District authorities have already transferred a piece of land to the TCGL for building the memorial, officials said. The plan also includes construction of a park and a pond in the village, besides developing the one-km stretch between nearby Kadari village, where Gandhiji stayed for a while.