In 75 yrs, Dandi goes Disneyland

While Gandhi’s name is a good advertisement for this south Gujarat village, what could draw visitors here are plans for an entertainment zone comprising hotels, rides, water sports and a mini golf course. Of course, there will be a three-dimensional theme pavilion on Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Ahmedabad-based N G Corporation with the State Government at the recent Global Investors meet to transform this sedate village into a tourist attraction.

Despite a proposed investment of Rs 3,000 crore, the MoU went largely unnoticed because IT was tucked away inside the package of 225 MoUs—with a promised investment of Rs 1.19 lakh crore—that the government has signed with various businesses.

So low-key is the Dandi project that even Congress president B K Gadhvi hasn’t heard about it. ‘‘Nobody has told us anything about it so far,’’ he said. But he added: ‘‘If it’s appropriate and a fitting tribute is paid to the Mahatma, we won’t have any problems.’’

In fact, Gadhvi admitted that his party, too, had wanted to develop the area and had written to AICC president Sonia Gandhi about it.

Yet N G Patel, CMD of N G Corporation, is worried. ‘‘I hope the Congress does not make a political issue out of it,’’ he says. ‘‘They remembered him after a long time but I have always wanted to develop the place.’’

The businessman in him is blunt, though. ‘‘Dandi will be our marketing point but nobody is going to go there just to see Gandhi’s statue,’’ he says. So over the next seven years, he plans to develop Dandi and two neighbouring villages in four phases. The theme pavillion, depicting scenes starting from Gandhi’s childhood to his assassination, will be set up over 100 acres at a cost of Rs 200 crore. Asked why he chose Dandi for such a huge investment, Patel said: ‘‘Only here can you get six kilometres of beach. Plus there is the Dandi factor.’’ The project would require about 3,500 acres of land but acquisition wouldn’t be a problem as the land is fallow, he said.

Patel says he has already roped in consultants from Singapore and US, and is in talks with Warner Brothers. However, he does not give more details saying, ‘‘It’s a business secret.’’

His team has already started surveying Dandi, Samaphore and Matwad villages to get an idea of the land available.

Navsari collector V P Patel confirmed that the company officials had met him twice. The government was only facilitating the project and the developer would have to purchase land directly from private parties, the collector said.