Gujarat to `dilute' liquor policy to help tourism

Gujarat to `dilute' liquor policy to help tourism
Express News Service

Gandhinagar, Feb 22: State Governor Sundersingh Bhandari on Monday promised foreign investors and tourists that the Gujarat Government would remove hurdles caused by the prohibition policy, even as he hailed the policy for industrial peace and safety of women in the state.

In his address to the State Assembly, the Governor appreciated that the dry law is being implemented honestly and said prohibition ensured a peaceful law and order situation in the state. He, however, told the House that ``care will be taken to remove unnecessary obstacles on account of prohibition in the field of foreign investment and tourism.'' The Governor said his Government had given priority to drinking water shortage caused by poor monsoon in Saurashtra, Kutch and North Gujarat and claimed that several pipeline projects to ferry water from sources like the Dharoi, Mahi and Panam were in advanced stage of implementation. He said the Rs 409-crore Saurashtra Pipeline Project to carry water from Pariyej in Kheda district to Botad in Saurashtra will be completed by December 2000. The Governor claimed urban water supply schemes to ease the water problem in towns in Rajkot and Surendranagar, besides other places in Saurashtra, have been completed. They include the Wankaner-Rajkot pipeline,Surendranagar-Wadhwan pipeline and Gondal-Jetpur-Dhoraji project.

At present, irrigation exists on 36.41 lakh hectares of land against the total capacity of 64.88 lakh hectares, while it has been planned to cover two lakh more hectares in the next three years. Singh said Gujarat was poised to become a major player in the information technology industry and added that the state plans an infocity in Gandhinagar and has already set up an info-tower in Ahmedabad for the purpose.

The Governor said the Government has decided to celebrate the next year as Manav Vikas Year, during which ambitious schemes for education, health, drinking water, reduction of infant mortality rate and housing and roads in rural areas will be launched. On education, he said the learning of Sanskritwas being given special encouragement by the Government to inculcate a senseof Indian culture in people. As part of this, the current year is being celebrated as the Sanskrit Year.

However, Opposition Congress members kicked up a ruckus in the State Assembly over the Government's controversial decision on the RSS, forcing Bhandari to cut short his address. Later, as the Governor was leaving the House escorted by the Speaker Dhirubhai Shah, a couple of Opposition members hurled khaki shorts at Singh.

While, the Congress protests over the issue continued in the House, scoresof the party's youth wing members and workers took out a procession outside on the streets of Gandhinagar. They later barged into the Assembly premises giving the slip to security personnel and smashed glass doors of the Assembly building and broke several flower pots. The Congress' plan to prevent the Speaker from entering the Assembly building was foiled as he sneaked into the building from the back door.