Dholera will be better developed than Delhi: Narendra Modi

Stressing the need for developing urban and rural areas simultaneously, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today said that port city of Dholera will be developed better than Delhi and six times bigger than China's financial capital Shanghai.

"Dholera will be developed better than Delhi and six times bigger than Shanghai", Modi said at the end of a panel discussion on "rurbanisation", organised as a part of a series of programmes heralding the Vibrant Gujarat Global Investors Summit.

Rurbanisation is modelled on the concept of creating "big villages" with rural soul but with an urban feel and all facilities that a city has, he said.

Dholera, a port city, is located 140 kms from here in the Gulf of Khambat coastline in Dhandhuka taluka. The state government is planning to develop it as a Special Investment Region (SIR).

Emphasising the need to develop twin cities, the chief minister cited instances of how Surat-Navsari, Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar, Surendranagar-Vadhwan, Bharuch-Ankleshwar and Vadodara-Halol and Kalol were developed as twin cities by ensuring total and inclusive growth in both the cities.

"Urbanisation was considered a big problem when it initially set in and there was a fear associated with urban cities. However, people and government considered urbanisation as an opportunity and welcomed it", Modi said.

He said the state government was focusing on 'rurbanisation" as it considers it was important to provide amenities available in urban centres in rural areas as well.

"Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (PURA) is a vision of former President of India A P J Abdul Kalam and Gujarat will be the first state to achieve this vision", he added.

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