BHUJ: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was inaugurated on Sunday Smriti Van Memorial dedicated to the victims of the devastating 2001 earthquake in the Kutch region of Gujarat.
Modi said that Smriti Van is a tribute to the lost lives and the remarkable fighting spirit of the people of Kutch.
The grand structure, which is the first such memorial in the country according to a Gujarat government official, spans 470 acres on Bhujio Hill near the town of Bhuj.
Celebrate the spirit of resilience in the wake of the deaths of nearly 13,000 people during the January 26, 2001 earthquake, which had its epicenter in Bhuj.
The memorial bears the names of the people who lost their lives in the earthquake. It also has a state-of-the-art museum of the Smriti Van earthquake.
Prime Minister Modi, who is on a two-day visit to Gujarat, on Sunday inaugurated the first phase of the project, spread over 170 acres on the hill.
After the inauguration, Modi, accompanied by the Prime Minister of Gujarat Bhupendra Patel, took a walk inside the museum where officials and tour guides informed him about its various aspects.
Notably, it was Prime Minister Modi who came up with the idea of setting up such a memorial when he was the prime minister of Gujarat, officials previously said.
The museum exhibits Gujarat’s topography, reconstruction of initiatives and success stories after the 2001 earthquake, and informs about different types of disasters and future readiness for any type of disaster.
It also has a block to relive the experience of an earthquake with the help of a 5D simulator and another block to pay homage to lost souls.
Many people from the Kutch district, especially Bhuj, were among the victims of the earthquake, which had its epicenter near the Chobari village of Bhachau taluka, about 20 km from the city of Bhuj.
One of the main attractions of this project is a special theater where visitors can experience an earthquake through vibrations and sound effects.
The museum, with eight blocks and spread over 11,500 square meters, will showcase the Harappa civilization of this region, scientific information about the earthquakes, the culture of Gujarat, the science behind the cyclones and the success story of Kutch after the earthquake, said a government statement.
There are also 50 audiovisual models, a hologram, interactive projections and virtual reality facilities in the museum for visitors.
Bhujio Hill was a military base for the former rulers of the Kutch region. It has a 300 year old fort which was also repaired and restored as part of this project.
Nearly three lakh trees were also planted on the hill using the Miyawaki method, the statement said.
Other attractions include 50 control dams, a solar point and paths with a combined length of eight kilometers, 1.2 km of inland roads, a 1 MW solar plant and parking for 3,000 visitors, he said.
In homage to the 12,932 people who lost their lives in the earthquake, their name is engraved on the walls of the control dams.
(With inputs from PTI)
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