Gujarat wants state guest houses for accommodating tourists visiting Statue of Unity

In a bid to boost tourism, the Gujarat government has requested other states to construct guest houses near the 182-metre tall Statue of Unity or statue of Sardar Patel in Narmada district, a state minister said here on Tuesday.

So far, 10 states have responded.

"We have written letters to all the chief ministers urging them to construct guest houses in the area in order to accommodate tourists coming to see the Statue of Unity from different states. We are even providing land to all states for the construction of theses guest houses. So far, 10 chief ministers have agreed to our proposal," Gujarat Education and Civil Aviation Minister Bhupendrasinh Chudasama said at a roadshow in the run up to the ninth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat summit to be held during January 18-20.

Currently, the state government is providing accommodation to visitors for overnight stays, he added.

Asked whether the West Bengal Government has responded to the proposal, he said, "We have approached the Bengal Government but so far no response has been received. But we hope to get it."

According to a state official, more than 4 lakh people have already visited the Statue of Unity after its inauguration on October 31.

On Vibrant Gujarat, anchored on the theme "Shaping a New India", he said 35,000 participants are expected to attend the event and as many as 15 countries have confirmed their participation.

"There is no unrest in industries in the state and Gujarat is a safe state. We have better infrastructure than any other state," he said.

"About 73 per cent of the projects bagged in the 2017 edition have been implemented on ground," state Industries' Commissioner Mamta Verma told reporters here.

The minister met industrialists in West Bengal and had a one-on-one interaction with them.

"They have assured us of investments in the state and will attend the upcoming summit," he said, adding that the industrialists here have expressed their interests mostly in textiles, ceramic and engineering.

--IANS

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