Kovind set to lay foundation stone of station near Statue of Unity despite backlash

President Ram Nath Kovind will be in Gujarat on December 15 to pay a visit to the Statue of Unity in Narmada district. He will also lay the foundation stone for a railway station at Kevadiya village in the vicinity of which the 182-meter tall statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel stands, an official release said Thursday. 

Local tribal leaders are opposing the railway station and have sought a meeting with the president over the issue. As December 15 is the death anniversary of Sardar Patel, the country's first home minister, Kovind will also attend a prayer meeting in the statue complex. The statue was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in October this year. 

From there, Kovind would proceed to Kevadiya village, 5 km away, to lay the foundation stone for a railway station, said the release. Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal will also attend the event. The railway station, to be built at a cost of Rs 20 crore, will provide direct rail connectivity to the tourists visiting the Statue of Unity. 

To connect Kevadiya with the main broad-gauge line, Railways has sanctioned the work to convert the 18-km Dabhoi-Chandod narrow-gauge line into broad-gauge and build a new 32-km line from Chandod to Kevadiya, said an official of Western Railways. 

Leaders of local tribal communities have sought to meet the president during his visit. In a memorandum submitted to the district authorities Thursday, tribal leader Praful Vasava appealed Kovind not to attend the event at Kevadiya, claiming that the Kevadiya gram sabha (village body) has passed a resolution against the railway station. 

"Many villagers lost their land due to the dam as well as due to the statue. Now our land will be taken for this railway station," Vasava told PTI. The resolution passed by the gram sabha under the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA) is binding on all authorities, he claimed. 

"The gram sabha ruled that villagers are against the railway station. We hope that Kovind will honour Constitutional provisions and cancel his visit. If he comes, we request him to listen to our plight first. We may take to the path of agitation if we are not heard," said Vasava.

(With inputs from agencies.)