 "PM to inaugurate 5-star hotel atop Gandhinagar train station on July 16")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate a newly-built five-star hotel atop the redeveloped Gandhinagar railway station and a host of other big-ticket projects on July 16, said the Gujarat government on Tuesday.
The redevelopment of the existing railway station in Gandhinagar and construction of the five-star hotel on top of the station started in January 2017 after Modi performed their groundbreaking. Now, the new-look station as well as the hotel are ready and will be inaugurated by the PM at 4 pm on July 16 through video conference, said a Gujarat government release. The luxury hotel, having 318 rooms and to be operated by a private entity, is spread across 7,400 square meters and has been built at a cost of Rs 790 crore, said the release. The hotel would host national and international guests who would come to attend seminars and conferences at Mahatma Mandir, a convention centre situated just opposite the property, it said. While Union Home Minister Amit Shah would also attend the inauguration virtually, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani and other dignitaries would remain present at a function in Gandhinagar, the release said. Later, the PM will virtually inaugurate three new attractions at the Science City in Ahmedabad. These attractions are - an aquatic gallery, a robotic gallery and a nature park, it said. As per the government release, the aquatic gallery, built at a cost of Rs 264 crore in the Science City, is India's largest aquarium having 68 large tanks to display marine life, including sharks. In all, the aquarium has around 11,600 fishes and marine animals of 188 different species, it said. The gallery also has a 28-meter-long underwater walkway tunnel for watching the marine species, said the release, adding the gallery also has a 5D theatre. Another attraction is robotic gallery, built at a cost of Rs 127 crore and spread across 11,000 square meters. It has over 200 robots of 79 different types, including humanoid robots having human-like bodies and machines which can interact with human beings, said the release. The nature park, built at a cost of Rs 14 crore, is spread across 20 acres and has life-size statues of animals, said the release. During the virtual event, PM Modi would also flag off Gandhinagar-Varanasi weekly superfast train and Gandhinagar-Varetha MEMU train. He will also dedicate the newly electrified Mehsana-Varetha broad gauge rail line, which passes through Vadnagar (PM's hometown), and a 266km stretch between Surendranagar and Pipavav station, said the release.