Gir-Somnath is state’s 27th district

Fulfilling the long-pending demand of people in seven talukas in Junagadh district, Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi announced the formation of Gir-Somnath district on Monday.

The new district will be carved out from the existing Junagadh district and will start functioning from January 26, 2013.

Addressing a large gathering at Sagarkhedu Sammelan in Somnath, the chief minister also doled out sops for the fishing community as he announced a diesel subsidy of Rs200 crore for the nearly 11,000 fishermen who own boats as well as development of new ports on the coastal area.

Welcoming the decision, Tejas Pandya, an advocate living in Veraval said that the efforts highlight locals’ problems in going all the way to Junagadh have finally paid off. Pandya said that he had written several letters to the state government and made representations to the political leaders since June 2008. He said, “People from seven talukas situated on the coast had to travel a lot in order to get their small works done. Una is nearly 170 km away from Junagadh, Kodinar is 120 km, and Veraval is 90 km from Junagadh.”