Guj govt plans airport at Dholavira in Kutch: Tourism Minister

Gujarat Government is planning to construct and develop an airport at Dholavira in Kutch district, one of the two largest Harappan sites in the country and also a "paradise" for bird-watchers, to connect it to the national circuit for promoting tourism.
State Tourism Minister Saurabh Patel said today said the government has already identified 11 airstrips, including Ambaji, Palitana, Ankleshwar, Dwarka, Mandvi (Kutch), Morbi, Rajkot, Parsoli, Rajpipla, Dholavira and Dahej, for the purpose of setting up the airport.
"The government also wants to promote tourism through intra-state aviation service that will cover routes like Ahmedabad-Surat-Bhavnagar, Bhuj-Rajkot-Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad-Porbandar-Jamnagar, Kandla-Mandvi-Amreli-Ahmedabad and Ahmedabad-Keshod-Diu," the minister added.

"Kutch district has a long history, dating from the Harappan Civilisation that had thrived at Dholavira in the 2nd and 3rd Millennia BC to the Jadeja Rajput rulers, who reigned from 1540s till the merger of states in 1940s, and endowed their princely state with forts, palaces, temples and other monuments of historic and religious importance," Patel said .
The district is currently hosting the 'Rann Festival' (desert festival) which was inaugurated at Dhordo village yesterday by Chief Minister Anandi Patel.
The festival is the brainchild of the then chief minister and incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Patel said the cultural extravaganza has been drawing tourists from across the country and also from abroad in droves with each passing year.

"Kutch is the habitat of the endangered and other wildlife species like the Indian wild ass. This district is known as the paradise for bird-watchers and is also the breeding ground for critically-endangered birds like Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican," said Patel.