Rajouri, Apr 8: Ekta Nagar Tourist Hub at Kevadiya in Gujarat is showing a new road map to the country which has implemented the idea of not only safeguarding the interest of local population but ensuring their holistic improvement in life.
In Ekta Nagar, entire development has been done in a way in which the interest and protection of local community was put on first priority in order to ensure there safe living at a time when this population was facing threat of displacement due to development activities.
Not only safeguarding the interest of local population but women centric approach has also been trademarked in Ekta Nagar giving big employment opportunities to local tribal women.
Ekta Nagar in Kevadiya is a tourist city established at a distance of around 190 kilometres from Ahmedabad with Sardar Sarovar Dam and Statue of Unity are main attractions in the hub.
However, in the planning stage of this tourist hub, a prime focus was paid on holistic development of the local population for which a separate road map was prepared which has made it possible that the local population is not only living a dignified life but the Ekta Nagar project has also transformed living of local population which is a man stakeholder in this esteemed project.
The planning of Ekta Nagar was done keeping in view necessary upliftment of local population in 19 villages that are located in its vicinity.
The prime concerns were local community involved in the planning of Ekta Nagar included generation of employment for locals, education of population, social upliftment and better health facilities.
In order to achieve these aims, it was mandated that majority of the manpower at Ekta Nagar will be drawn from local areas only where many tribal communities are also living since centuries.
Minute planning for local population during primary stage has made it possible that the Ekta Nagar is showing a road map to entire country by which we can ensure that interest of local communities are not harmed at the time of development.
Presently, almost 90% of total manpower working in different sectors of Ekta Nagar is drawn from local population with 1770 locals are getting direct employment that include 145 tourist guides, 160 bus drivers, 70 ferry operators, 20 e-bicycle operators, 125 food court operators, 35 consultants, 500 housekeeping and cleaning staff, 350 construction workers, 325 animal keepers, 40 fire and safety officials.
Alongside, 6950 locals are also getting indirect employment with 5000 people working in hotels and restaurants, 250 working as tour operators, 200 working as street vendors, 500 as event organisers and 1000 as construction workers.
To train the local population including the local tribals for working expertise in different sectors of Ekta Nagar, the authority looking after the affairs of this place is also running multiple skill development centres to promote free education and training among local youth.
Due to involvement of local population in this project as main stakeholders, the economy of local population is now dependent upon this esteemed tourism project thus ending the employment as well as social upliftment issues of local population before the start of project as earlier the local population was having a tribal economy which was purely depended upon agriculture as well as animal husbandry.
Large scale involvement of local population as manpower at Ekta Nagar can be gauged from the fact that all the E-rickshaws run in the internal road network for ferrying tourists are run by local women while local men drive e-buses and other means of transportation.
Furthermore, the children of local population living in the area are also given free transportation facility on buses meant for ferrying tourists and every business unit and other establishment at Ekta Nagar has to give first priority to local population in manpower needs and outsiders can only be recruited for some selected positions.
The first woman operated McDonald, a commercial food outlet, at Ekta Nagar is also having 85% staff of local women whereas 120 guides on sell and ride basis in Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Zoological park are also mostly locals.
Local women steer change, drive e-rickshaws at Ekta Nagar
To boost internal transportation in Ekta Nagar and to facilitate tourists to visit from one tourist attraction point to other, a number of e-rickshaws are run inside the tourist hub and all the environment friendly vehicles are run by local women who are now able to live a dignified life and are earning livelihood for their families.
The women belong to local families who were fearing displacement at the time of start of project but adjustment of families was prioritised in planning.
Organisation dealing with management of affairs of Ekta Nagar has included a fleet of hundreds of environment friendly vehicles to ply on internal roads of Ekta Nagar that include these e-rickshaws driven by local women only who pay some meagre amount to authority and get rest of the share to feed their families.
Mayur Singh Raul, Mittal Tadvi: Local guides emerge as faces of Ekta Nagar
Mayur Singh Raul and Mittal Tadvi are two main guides of Ekta Nagar who have also served as guides with main international personalities and delegations and both have indepth knowledge of entire tourist hub.
Both Mayur and Mittal are also icons of empowerment of local communities who were fearing displacement due to development of this mega tourism project but these communities have not only been empowered through smart planning but have also been made main stakeholder in overall working.
Mayur Singh Raul has been guide with a number of important personalities including President of India and with Prime Ministers as well as Presidents of many other countries also.
He is known to have informed and knowledge of every tourist attraction point of Ekta Nagar.
He was earlier working in area outside and earning livelihood but was able to get employment at this tourist hub and rose to the fame.
Similar, 28 years old local girl Mittal Tadvi belonging to Tadvi tribal community is also a main guide at Ekta Nagar.
Mittal among hundreds of other local girls were trained and stared working at this tourist hub only and now she is a main guide who also accompanied journalists from Jammu and Punjab Chandigarh who visited Ekta Nagar recently under a tour organised by PIB Jammu in coordination with PIB Gujarat.
