Ekta Nagar, Oct 31 — Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the Rain Forest and Vaman Vriksha Vatika at Ekta Nagar in Gujarat’s Narmada district, as part of the 'Rashtriya Ekta Diwas' celebrations marking the 151st birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
The visit came after PM Modi paid floral tributes to Sardar Patel at the Statue of Unity and inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 31 tourism and infrastructure projects worth Rs 426.71 crore in the area.
The Rain Forest is among the new tourism attractions being developed around the Statue of Unity.
Spread across 12 acres, the project recreates a rainforest environment with artificial rainfall throughout the year. It has 20 rain-gun towers, waterfalls, bubble fountains and landscaped greenery, with trees representing different parts of India.
One of its main attractions is a circular glass skywalk made using 132 panels of 35-mm-thick glass, allowing visitors to walk above the forest landscape.
The facility also incorporates elements intended to introduce visitors to biodiversity and different forest ecosystems.
The project is part of the tourism infrastructure package inaugurated at Ekta Nagar. The Gujarat government's project list puts its cost at Rs 14.30 crore. PM Modi also visited Vaman Vriksha Vatika, another nature-oriented attraction in the Ekta Nagar tourism circuit.
The visit formed part of the government's wider effort to expand the range of experiences available to visitors beyond the Statue of Unity.
Earlier in the day, PM Modi inaugurated 23 projects worth Rs 307.83 crore and laid the foundation stones for eight projects costing Rs 118.88 crore.
The major attractions among the inaugurated projects include an IRCTC hotel built at a cost of Rs 50 crore, an Ekta Cruise worth Rs 16 crore and an Eco Trail costing Rs 3.67 crore.
The foundation-stone projects include the Gora-Bhanadra Road, a smart zero-waste integrated solid waste management project, Khalwani Eco-Tourism and an integrated Cactus and Butterfly Garden.
PM Modi is scheduled to participate in the Rashtriya Ekta Diwas celebrations at around 5:30 p.m.
The programme will feature the Ekta Parade, with contingents from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), state police forces and central police organisations.
A theatrical presentation on ‘Naxal Mukt Bharat’, organised by the National School of Drama, will feature around 2,000 artistes from 126 districts affected by Left-Wing Extremism.
The celebrations will also include tableaux and cultural performances centred on the theme ‘Vande Mataram’, with a larger presentation involving around 5,000 artistes from across the country.