Gujarat, Jan 30
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a day-long visit to Gujarat today. During his stay, Mr Modi laid the foundation stone for the extension of the terminal building at Surat Airport. The building will be constructed at a cost of around 350 crore rupees in 25,500 square meters area. It will be an eco-friendly sustainable building, using solar energy and LED lighting.
Once completed, it will have a peak handling capacity of over 1800 passengers. Surat airport is the third busiest airport in Gujarat after Ahmedabad and Vadodara in terms of both aircraft movements and passenger traffic.
Later, Prime Minister Modi will visit Dandi in Navsari District on the coast of the Arabian Sea wherein 1930 Mahatma Gandhi had ended his historic Salt March.
He will dedicate the National Salt Satyagraha Memorial in Dandi. The National Salt Satyagraha Memorial to be dedicated to the nation on Mahatma Gandhi’s death anniversary has statues of Mahatma Gandhi and 80 Satyagrahis, who had marched with Mahatma Gandhi during the historic Dandi Salt March.
The memorial also has 24-narrative murals depicting various events and stories from the historic 1930 Salt March. The Prime Minister will also address a public meeting there.
The Salt Satyagraha, known as the Dandi March has been a landmark event in the history of India’s freedom struggle. Mahatma Gandhi had launched Civil Disobedience Movement against the British rule. 80 Satyagrahis with him marched 241-miles from Sabarmati Ashram to the coastal village Dandi and broke the Salt Law imposed by the British.
