Keshubhai meets LK Advani, Narendra Modi on Somnath issue

A prime ministerial candidate, a veteran leader and a former chief minister — Narendra Modi, LK Advani and Keshubhai Patel — came together, albeit to attend a meeting of the Somnath Temple Trust here in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

At the meeting, a detailed discussion on completed, ongoing and new projects — including beginning of the work of gold plating of the temple dome — was held among trustees that also included the secretary of the trust and former bureaucrat PK Laheri. As Advani could not attend the meeting last month, he was briefed about the annual accounts and other financial details of the Somnath Trust.

“We discussed at length a few projects which are going to be taken up during the current year that includes a new dormitory for visitors, shopping complex with food courts and renovation of Parshuram Temple on the premises of the existing temple,” Laheri told dna.

The new dormitory project is slated to come up within a kilometre of the temple premises and will have a capacity for 640 beds to accommodate more visitors, who halt for the night at Veraval.

Also, the need to set up a shopping complex with a food plaza has been felt by the trust. “These new projects have been approved after the discussion,” said Laheri. 

“Another project which would be taken up during the ensuing year includes covering the temple dome with gold. The project has been approved and we are expecting the work for the same to begin during the year. Other projects like development of more facilities for pilgrims in and around the temple site were also discussed,” pointed out Laheri.