Eight years apart, Dholidhaja Dam Park project inaugurated again, locals question Tourism dept’s intent

Eight years after a foundation ceremony was held for the Dholidhaja Dam Park project in Surendranagar district of Gujarat, the state tourism minister again held one last Saturday. Locals have slammed Gujarat’s Tourism department and raised questions about holding the ceremony twice. The project is expected to come up at a cost of ₹23.31 crore.

A foundation ceremony for the project was held in 2017, but since then there has been no progress.   Subsequently, another ceremony was organised.

The proposal to develop Dholidhaja Dam Park had been in the pipeline for many years. Ahead of the state assembly elections, there was a grand announcement about creating this park. 

On October 23, 2017, the then BJP MLA Varshaben Joshi of Wadhwan performed the foundation ceremony. At that time, the project was announced at a cost of ₹50 crore, with a promise that it would create a unique blend of culture and spiritual energy in the lap of nature near Mahadev temple. Soon after, the project went into the back-burner. For eight years, the project did not move a step.

Now, with municipal elections approaching, the same project has been re-launched. On Saturday, Tourism Minister Mulubhai Bera performed another foundation ceremony for Dholidhaja Dam Park. It was announced that the park would now be constructed at a cost of ₹23.31 crore.

The question being raised is, why did the Tourism Department remain inactive for eight years, abandoning the earlier promises, only to return with the same project just before elections? Allegations are now being made that this second foundation ceremony is a political move to mislead locals.