Like Wagah, an Indo-Pak border viewing point in Gujarat: Here’s what visitors can expect

The Indo-Pakistan border viewing point is part of the Seema Darshan project. Image Courtesy: @airnewsalerts/Twitter

Gujarat gets its version of the Wagah — an Indo-Pakistan border viewing point in Nadabet, around 188 kilometres from Ahmedabad.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the viewing point on Sunday in Gujarat’s Banaskantha district as part of the Seema Darshan project.

Beating Retreat ceremony and more

Located in the Rann of Kutch, this attraction is connected by a narrow bitumen road cutting across mudflats that get inundated during high tide, according to a report in The Indian Express. Civilians will be able to view the fenced international border with Pakistan at “Zero Point”, which is guarded 24X7 by the Border Security Force (BSF). There will be a “Beating Retreat” ceremony like the one held at the Wagah-Attari border. However, there’s a difference. Unlike the border in Punjab, there won’t be soldiers present on the Pakistani side in Nadabet, ML Garg, deputy inspector general of BSF, told The Indian Express. Secondly, the parade held on the Indian side will be in the evening in an open-air auditorium that will have the capacity to seat 5,000 persons, the report says.

There are other attractions for tourists to look forward to. A 30-feet high T-Junction Pillar, adorned with murals depicting the border protectors in action, is the centrepiece of the Seema Darshan Complex. Other special attractions include a “Sarhad Gatha” exhibition centre and museum. A monument, titled “Ajay Prahari” has also been erected at the site in the memory of fallen soldiers.

Tourists will also be able to view weapons of the Indian Army and BSF like surface-to-surface and surface-to-air missiles, T-55 tanks, artillery guns, torpedoes, wing drop tanks, and MiG-27 aircraft.

A sneak peek into the BSF life

The Rs 125-crore tourism project aims to offer citizens a sneak peek into the life of BSF personnel deployed at the border. “The people would get to observe their living conditions, their duties, and patriotism,” a government statement said.

The project will give visitors a sneak peek into the life of BSF personnel. Image Courtesy: @sanghaviharsh/Twitter

An interpretation centre has been set up to familiarise visitors with the life of a BSF jawan as well as the daily struggles of those living in border villages through a composition of state-of-the-art visual settings. High-tech interactive installations such as virtual patrolling, experiential technologies, and simulators are expected to be a big draw for visitors, reports The Hindustan Times.

“Only when you visit Nadabet and go to the border, you will know under what difficult conditions our security force works. It will instill a feeling of patriotism among children,” Shah had said during the inauguration.

Adventure sports

The complex also has an arena that offers adventure sports like rock climbing, rappelling, rifle shooting, and zipline.

To make the attraction tourist-friendly, there are arrival plazas, a lounge, parking facilities, an auditorium with a seating capacity of 500 people, a changing room, shops and more than 20 restaurants.

Solar panels have been set up at the centre, which will take care of 30 per cent of the electricity consumed at the project.

‘Boosting border tourism’

The Seema Darshan project is a joint initiative by the Gujarat tourism department and the BSF Gujarat Frontier to provide an impetus to border tourism in the region.

At the inauguration, Shah said that “border tourism” will help boost border security and connect citizens to BSF personnel. “The border tourism will help boost border security, increase people’s respect towards the Border Security Force (BSF) personnel and help connect people with the security forces. I am sure this project will achieve all these three goals,” Shah said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the project on Sunday along with Gujarat chief minister Bhupendra Patel. Image Courtesy: @sanghaviharsh/Twitter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken several initiatives to develop border infrastructure to enhance border security and the Seema Darshan project is one of them, he added.

Shah said that apart from boosting local tourism, the project will also help “resolve the issue of migration from border villages in search of work”. Pakistan is around 150 metres from the border pillar 960 at Nadabet, reports The Indian Express.

The tourism project will help provide jobs to locals. “I see a vision that after 10 years, will give employment to at least five lakh youth in Banaskantha,” Shah added.

The home minister hailed the paramilitary forces. “The BSF holds several medals and carries with it stories of supreme sacrifice. The entire country takes pride in the bravery shown by the BSF,” he said.

With inputs from agencies

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