Double-engine sarkar ensured faster progress in Gujarat: PM Modi
Due to the well-developed long drainage network and sewage treatment, Surat has got a new life, the PM said, adding, “Those who were earlier staying in huts are now staying in houses and their lifestyle has changed. Around 80,000 houses have been built in Surat.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and other leaders in Surat on Thursday. (Express photo by Hanif Malek)
The “double-engine sarkar” in Gujarat has ensured that “approvals for projects and their progress is faster”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Surat on Thursday, as he blamed the previous (central) government for delaying projects for Surat, including the international airport.
Speaking at an event to lay the foundation stones and inaugurate projects worth Rs 3472.54 crore for Surat, Modi said, “Progress in the past two decades is reflecting in the faith entrusted in the double engine government that contributes to the efforts (prayas). Surat has done exemplary progress, leaving everyone behind. And this power is in Gujarat… crores of people of Gujarat are committed to ensure there is no shortcoming in this development journey.”
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Praising Surat as a “mini Hindustan”, Modi said, “Once the DREAM city project is complete, Surat will emerge as secure and convenient diamond trading hub. The day is not far when Surat will be a modern office space for diamond trading firms across the world. Few months ago, the Central government approved a powerloom mega cluster. The textile industries on the outskirts will benefit…”
“There are many who have witnessed the long struggle for an airport and have been a part of it, we were tired of telling the government in Delhi (then central government), why Surat needs an airport… See today how many flights operate from here… Same was with the Metro (project)… Today with the double-engine sarkar, approvals are faster and work is also faster,” said the PM.
The new terminal at the Surat airport on the Magdalla-Dumas Road was inaugurated in 2009 and was licensed for public use in 2011. The airport ran into trouble after a SpiceJet flight ran into a stray buffalo and the service had to stall operations in 2014.
According to the Surat International Airport website, “Taking in view severe ramifications of the buffalo-hit on the runway, major renovation and upgradation work was taken up in 2015 and in a span of three painstaking years, remarkable developments have been made till date.”
Announcing a direct cargo train from Surat to Varanasi that would carry textiles to Eastern Uttar Pradesh, Modi said, “The railway has improvised the design of its coaches to fit cargo in it. Containers of one tonne capacity have been built that can be easily loaded and unloaded on to them. Now there is a plan to run a new cargo train from Surat to Kashi… it will benefit the traders and labourers of Surat.”
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Adding that Surat will soon be known as “electric vehicle city”, Modi said, “Today 25 electric charging stations have been inaugurated and foundation stones of same numbers of charging stations have been laid… target is to make 500 charging stations.”
Due to the well-developed long drainage network and sewage treatment, Surat has got a new life, the PM said, adding, “Those who were earlier staying in huts are now staying in houses and their lifestyle has changed. Around 80,000 houses have been built in Surat.”
Kamal Saiyed is a senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, providing extensive, on-the-ground coverage from Surat and the broader South Gujarat region and the Union territories of Daman, Diu & Dadra Nagar Haveli. With a reporting career at the publication spanning back to 2007, he has established himself as a high-authority voice on the industrial, social, and political pulse of one of India’s fastest-growing urban hubs.
Expertise
Industrial & Economic Beat: Based in the "Diamond City," Saiyed offers expert reporting on the diamond and textile industries. His work tracks global market shifts (such as De Beers production changes), local trade policies, and the socio-economic challenges facing the millions of workers in Surat’s manufacturing hubs.
Civic & Infrastructure Coverage: He consistently reports on urban development and public safety in Surat, including:
Traffic & Urban Planning: Monitoring the city's 13-fold increase in traffic violations and the implementation of new municipal drives.
Public Safety: Investigative reporting on infrastructure failures, fire safety NOC compliance in schools and commercial buildings, and Metro rail progress.
Political Reporting: Tracking the shifting dynamics between the BJP, Congress, and AAP in South Gujarat and the neighboring Union Territories (Daman, Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli).
Crime beat: Armed with a good source network Saiyed has been able to bring out the human side of crime stories in his region ... Read More
