Pak delegation studies Modi's pet riverfront project in Ahmedabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s diplomacy move with his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif seems to be taking shape with a four-member delegation from the neighbouring country visiting Sabarmati River Front to study the engineering, water flow model and various aspects of the project. The team which was impressed by the work done may replicate the Sabarmati River Front model for similar project on river Ravi in Lahore which is known as Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project (RRUDP).

The Sabarmati riverfront project is one of the favourite projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi which had taken shape during his tenure as Gujarat chief minister.

The delegation is headed by Lahore Development Authority (LDA) commissioner Rashid Langrial, its director general Ahad Cheema, strategic policy unit chief Moazzam Sipra and Mustafa Kamal Chaudhry, the technical consultant on urban infrastructure projects for the agency. The team will be in Ahmedabad till July 22. They toured Sabarmati river front at various locations from near Subhash bridge to Jamalpur. The team members got on board a speed boat to have a look at structures erected on both side of the Sabarmati river which is not a perineal river.

They were also given a detailed presentation on the river front project by officials of the Sabarmati Riverfront Development Corporation Ltd (SRFDCL), a special purpose vehicle (SPV) set up for the project. The team was give detailed presentation of budget, the special development control regulations and drainage system of the project.

After field visit on the river front Langrial said that they were here to study the project and look into possibilities of replicating it of river Ravi in Lahore. “We are visiting number of river front projects around the world. The Sabarmati River Front is one of the closest project which and has similar geographical conditions like us. We specially want to understand the engineering design and the water flow system that has been developed here,” Langrial told reporters.

The LDA has already initiated groundwork for the Ravi riverfront project are in the stage of completing the feasibility study. Langrial said that he and his team had planned to visit Sabarmati river front a few months ago, but it did not materialise.

The Pakistani delegation during its tour faced opposition from the local Shiv Sena workers who shouted anti-Pakistan slogans when the team visited Sabarmati river front near Subhash Bridge. Shiv Sena leader Ashok Sharma asked why was the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) entertaining people from Pakistan who were killing Indian soldiers on the border. “We (Shiv Sena and BJP) are allies but went it comes to issues of national security, religion or culture we may have different views. We oppose the Pakistan delegation visiting Gujarat when our soldiers are being killed on the Indo-Pak border,” said Sharma before he and a dozen of his supporters were detained by the police for security reasons. They were later released.

The Rs 1,250 crore Sabarmati river front project is a self finance one which aims to covering its cost by auctioning 14.5 per cent of total 202.79 hectares of reclaimed land along the bank of river Sabarmati. The riverfront proposes to have facilities like public buildings, cultural and educational centres, public parks, plazas and commercial complexes.