AHMEDABAD: The Centre has embarked on yet another ambitious project to
build a green memorial at Dandi toimmortalise the salt march by Gandhi in
1930.With an aim to rejuvenating Gandhi principles, a Rs 25-crore green
project will be launched at Dandi onWednesday to transform the area into
an eco-friendly tourist destination.Society of Integrated Coastal Management
(SICOM),along with Gujarat Vidyapith and Gujarat Ecology Commission
(GEC),will implementthe unique project aimed at overall development and
conservation of the environment of Dandi and its surrounding villages.
To celebrate 75 years of the Dandi march, the UPA government had announced
a project to develop the 376-km Ahmedabad-Dandi route into the ‘Heritage
Road and Corridor’ in 2005, work for which is on. The Centre allocated
Rs 10 crore as corpus fund for this project. The green project for Dandi called Green Action for National Dandi Heritage
Initiative (GANDHI) will beexecuted by SICOM, an agency working under the
Union ministry of environment and forests, in two years.The project will be
implemented by applying Gandhian principles for environment conservation
and villagedevelopment. Union minister of environment and forest Jairam
Ramesh and Gopal Krishna Gandhi, chairman,Dandi Memorial Committee,
will inaugurate it on Wednesday E Balagurusamy, IFS, member secretary, GEC,
said, “Various activities to be undertaken as part of the project include
mangrove afforestation and bio-shielddevelopment, beach nourishment,
conservation of coastal features and wetlands, harnessing and encouraginguse
of renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, conservation of water,
waste management, transformation of target villages into carbon neutral areas,
improvement in source of livelihood among others”. Time of India
7th July 2010
Gujarat Congress 