On Friday, PM Modi inaugurated a new circuit house that has been built near the iconic Somnath Temple in Gujarat. PM Modi appreciated the project saying that at the peak of the temple, the devotees will feel the consciousness of India standing proud despite the ravages of time.
According to a release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Somnath Temple is visited by lakhs of devotees from India and abroad every year. The need for the new Circuit House was felt as the existing government facility was located far off from the temple. The new facility near the Somnath Temple has been built at a cost of ₹30 crore, which is a 4-story building with 48 rooms. This new circuit house has VIP and deluxe rooms, suites, conference room, auditorium hall etc, along with ample parking space.
PM Modi at the event also remarked that the circumstances in which the Somnath temple was destroyed, and the circumstances in which the temple was renovated by the efforts of Sardar Patel, both carry a big message. “Today, when in the Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav, we wish to learn from our past, places of culture and faith like Somnath are in the centre of that”, PM Modi pointed out.
In his speech, PM Modi called for a boost in the tourism sector and said that India’s ancient, cultural heritage sites must be maintained. He said that the development of tourist centres is not just a part of the government schemes, but a campaign of public participation. He suggested ways to improve tourism and said that today the country is looking at tourism in a holistic way.
The Prime Minister listed four things that are can be crucial to increase tourism- cleanliness, convenience, time and approach. “Earlier our tourist places, holy pilgrimage places were also unhygienic. Today Swachh Bharat Abhiyan has changed this picture. The scope of facilities should not be limited to tourist places only. The facility of transport, internet, correct information, medical arrangements, should be available at all places and the government is working in this direction also”, he noted.
Taking a jibe at previous governments, PM Modi said that after independence, only a few families in Delhi witnessed development. But today the country is leaving behind that narrow thinking, building new places of pride, giving them grandeur. “After independence, buildings were constructed in Delhi only for selected families. However, it is this government which built the Baba Saheb Memorial in Delhi and APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial in Rameshwaram. Similarly, attention was given to places related to Subhas Chandra Bose and Shyamji Krishna Varma,” he said.