Modi to inaugurate first phase of 'Smriti Van' Kutch earthquake memorial in Jan 2019

Bhuj, Nov 20: Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Smriti Van project at Bhujiyo hill in district headquarters Bhuj in Kutch in upcoming month of January.

Smriti Van' is being developed at Bhujio Hill in Kutch:

‘Smritivan' memorial atop Bhujia Dungar near Bhuj will commemorate the death of 13,805 in earthquake in 2001. The memorial at Bhujio hill is being built in memory of those 13,805 persons who died in year 2001 earthquake, epicentre of which was in Kutch.

How much amount spen on this project:

Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority(GSDMA) has given Rs 155 crore for this project of which Rs 77.38 crore sum has been spent. A boundary wall around hill, pond, sun point, pathway and landscape works, amenities box, pose point, gate, cabin, construction of museum building, road etc works have been completed so far. Restoration work for old fort wall over Bhujiya hill is going on. Overall size of the project is 470 acre.

About Smriti Van Earthquake Memorial and Museum:

The Smriti Van Earthquake Memorial and Museum (SEMM) will be an emotive experiential space that explains the phenomena of earthquake with a unique exhibit treatment, reflecting the essence of the land- its kachchhiyat that will celebrate Ma Ashapura's mitho mehran. The selfportrait of Kachchh as reflected in the line - dhingi dhara, dhinga dhor, dhingi boli, dhinga bol* - will be the guiding spirit of the Earthquake Memorial and Museum complex.

2001 Gujarat earthquake, also known as the Bhuj earthquake:

On 26 January 2001, an earthquake devastated the Indian State of Gujarat, claiming the lives of 13,805 and causing widespread destruction in the space of just a few seconds. Earthquakes and other natural calamities like droughts and cyclones are not infrequent in this region, so a memorial to the victims of this catastrophe takes on an even wider significance.