Seema Darshan Project

Seema Darshan Project

Subject :Geography

Section: Mapping

Context- As part of the Seema Darshan project, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday (April 10) inaugurated an Indo-Pakistan border viewing point in Nadabet in Gujarat, around 188 km from Ahmedabad.

Concept-

• Located in the Rann of Kutch region, Nadabet, also known as the ‘Wagah of Gujarat’, is connected by a narrow bitumen road cutting across mudflats that get inundated during high-tide.
• On weekdays, there are around 4,000 visitors visiting Nadabet, while on the weekends, this number goes up to 10,000-20,000
• The border visit timings are from 9 am to 7 pm.
• There is a nominal entry fee of Rs 100 for adults and Rs 50 for children above the age of two.

What is the Seema Darshan project?

• The Seema Darshan project was first inaugurated by former Gujarat chief minister Vijay Rupani in December 2016.
• The Seema Darshan project is a joint initiative of the tourism department of the state government and the BSF Gujarat Frontier, where the focus is to develop border-tourism in the region which has a sparse population and even sparser vegetation.
• The biggest attraction of the Seema Darshan project is the access provided to civilians to view the fenced international border with Pakistan at ‘Zero Point’.
• At Zero Point, a high watchtower has been erected that gives visitors a view into Pakistani territory.
• This is guarded round the clock by the Border Security Force (BSF) in Banaskantha district of Gujarat.
• Pakistan is around 150 metres from the border pillar 960 at Nadabet.

Role of Nadabet in 1971 Indo-Pak War

• Nadabet played a key role in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War.
• It was in this region that the BSF not only stalled the enemy trying to invade from the west, but also captured 15 enemy posts.
• At Nadabet, there are maps showing the movements of the BSF battalions capturing enemy positions during the war.
• During the war, the BSF had captured 1,038 square km of Pakistan territory in Nagarparkar and Diplo areas. The area was returned to Pakistan after the Shimla Agreement was signed.