On Day 2 of Gujarat Visit, PM Modi Inaugurates 'Smriti Van Memorial' in Kutch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated Smriti Van memorial, which celebrates the resilience shown by people during the devastating 2001 earthquake in the Kutch region of Gujarat. Inaugurating the memorial, PM Modi said Smriti Van is a tribute to the lost lives and the remarkable fighting spirit of the people of Kutch.

The memorial has been built over nearly 470 acres to celebrate the spirit of resilience, following the death of 13,000 people during the 2001 earthquake which had its epicentre in Bhuj. The memorial carries names of the people, who lost their lives during the earthquake. It also has a state-of-the-art Smriti Van Earthquake Museum.

The museum showcases Gujarat’s topography, rebuilding initiatives and success stories after the 2001 earthquake, and informs about different kinds 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 for people to pay homage to the lost souls.

He also laid the foundation stone & inaugurated various development projects in Bhuj.

“I remember when the earthquake happened, I reached here on the second day itself. I was not CM back then, just a worker. I didn’t know how many people I would be able to help. But I decided to be there with you all,” PM Modi said.

He will also inaugurate ‘Veer Balak Memorial’, a memorial built on the outskirts of Anjar town in Kutch district as a tribute to schoolchildren and teachers who died during the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat.

PM Modi arrived in Gujarat on Saturday and met Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, state BJP chief CR Paatil and senior government officials. He is scheduled to address a gathering in Bhuj town of Kutch district. From the same venue, he will virtually inaugurate or perform ground-breaking ceremonies for nearly 10 projects in the region.

Veer Balak Memorial

The ‘Veer Balak Memorial’ is built near Anjar town as a tribute to 185 schoolchildren and 20 teachers who were killed during a Republic Day parade on January 26, 2001, when a powerful earthquake, with its epicentre in Bhuj, hit parts of the state.

When they were passing through a lane as part of the parade, debris of buildings and walls fell on them due the strong trembler. Around 100 relatives of these children and teachers have been invited for the function.

The memorial also has a museum consisting of five sections displaying photographs of the victims, articles used by the children when they were alive, a simulator to make people feel an earthquake and a section to make members of the public aware about the scientific aspects of earthquakes, said the release. The memorial has names and photographs of all the school students and teachers who died, written on a wall.

According to the state government, nearly 13,000 people had died across the state in the earthquake.

Smriti Van

Prime Minister Narendra inaugurated ‘Smriti Van’ in Bhuj, which celebrates the spirit of resilience shown by people following the 2001 earthquake in Gujarat and lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various developmental projects at Bhuj. He will address a programme in Gandhinagar, commemorating 40 years of Suzuki in India.

The Smriti Van memorial has been built in nearly 470 acre area to celebrate the spirit of resilience following the death of 13,000 people during the 2001 earthquake which had its epicentre in Bhuj.

The memorial carries names of the people who lost their lives during the earthquake. It also has a state-of-the-art Smriti Van Earthquake Museum, as per a government release. The museum showcases Gujarat’s topography, rebuilding initiatives and success stories after the 2001 earthquake, and informs about different kinds 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 for people to pay homage to the lost souls, the release said. PM Modi will also inaugurate a Kutch branch canal of the Sardar Sarovar Project to provide irrigation and drinking water in 948 villages and 10 towns of the district.

PM will also inaugurate a new automatic milk processing and packing plant of Sarhad Dairy, a Regional Science Centre at Bhuj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Convention Centre at Gandhidham, Veer Bal Smarak at Anjar, and Bhuj 2 substation at Nakhatrana.

On the first day of the visit, PM Narendra Modi inaugurated the Atal Bridge in Ahmedabad and attended the ‘Khadi Utsav’ at the Sabarmati riverfront as he kickstarted his two-day visit to Gujarat.

He and chief minister Bhupendra Patel attended the khadi event, where the prime minister also tried his hands at the spinning wheel during the one-of-a-kind live event, where 7,500 woman artisans from various districts of the state spun their charkhas at once.

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