Wagah-like border spectacle planned in Gujarat

KUTCH (GUJARAT): Patriotism will soon rent the air of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Gujarat with the government planning to start a border viewing centre near the Indo-Pak border in Banaskantha district of Gujarat on the lines of Attari-Wagah border point, the existing tourist attraction in Punjab.

Preparations are in full swing and the first “seema darshan” programme will be launched on December 24 next week“.

“The Gujarat government in coordination with BSF will soon flag off the seema darshan programme in the border region of Banaskantha district, close to the lines of Wagah border, for the public,” Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani announced it during the inauguration of 12th edition of Rann Utsav, the white desert festival that begins in November and continues till February.  

The border viewing programme will be launched at Nadabet, a small hamlet in Vav Taluka in BanasKantha district. Nadabet, 120 km from Palampur, is one of those few areas in Rann of Kutch that doesn’t get submerged in salt marshes and is situated on a raised land.

Unlike the aggressive patriotic ceremony jointly performed by the Border Security Force (BSF) and Pakistani Rangers that fill the air when the sentries stamp the ground hard at the Attari-Wagah border, the Gujarat government is planning a quiet “border area viewing”, modes of surveillance and display of weapons and arms used by BSF jawans, a screening of film on defence and flag lowering ceremony, parades and a camel show, to begin with.

“Temporary built up auditoriums have been erected. Soon, we will have permanent structures close to the Indo-Pak border so that people can experience the amazing feeling of patriotism and witness the life of people guarding the border. This will not be similar to Wagah border but close on the lines of Wagah. The “seema darshan” programme will be open to public on the weekends — Saturday and Sunday — till we have permanent structures,” commissioner of tourism and managing director, Gujarat government, N. Srivastava told this newspaper

For the first day, first show, the government has invited literary people, lawyers of Ahemdabad along with travellers, who can spread the word around.

Envisioned by PM Modi, once the border viewing is made open to public, the Gujarat government plans to promote the tourism possibilities of adjoining areas. “We are trying to create more tourist spots and make the state as popular as other well known tourist places like Rajasthan, Kerala and Uttarakhand,” Mr Rupani said at the event.

“The adjoining areas of Nadabet are well known for their milk products, organic farming, pomegranate farming and Nadeshwari Mata Temple. If we rope in all of these with border viewing, lot of tourism can be generated,” added Mr Srivastava.