With this, the Gujarat coast escapes the fury of cyclone, bringing huge relief to the people of the region. But had cyclone Nilofar maintained its intensity, the damage to this vital and strategic coastline of India could have been intense.
The Kutch region has industrial installations worth over 70,000 crore rupees and is home to India’s two biggest ports of Kandla and Mundra. It also shares its boundaries with Pakistan, making the region significant on the political map of India.
Kandla port
Kandla port was built in 1950 and is one of the major ports on the west coast. Actually it is the largest port in terms of volume of cargo handled. The port mainly handles crude oil imports, which roughly accounts for 63% of the total cargo. The port also aims at building dedicated container handling capacity. At the moment container trade is insignificant.
Mundra port
Mundra port is the largest private port in the country. In earlier days the port was known for salt and spice trading but now it is popular for tie-dye and block-print textiles. The port is also a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) incorporated in 1998 as Gujarat Adani Port Limited (GAPL).
Salt Marsh
A large part of Kutch district is known as little Rann of Kutch, which is popular for its salt production. The mainstay of the people like Chunvaliya Koli, Ahir and Miyana (Muslim), residing in 107 villages of the region is salt production. The region accounts for about 70% of the total salt production in India.
Solar power plant
Patan in Saurashtra and Kutch region is home to 600 MW of solar power park. It is India’s first and largest solar power park dedicated to the country in 2012 by then chief minister of Gujarat, Narendra Modi.
Religious importance of Naliya
Naliya is an ancient town having religious importance. It is a popular pilgrimage center for the Jains and houses several Jain temples. One of the famous five Jain temples of Abdasa ni Panchtirthi, which means five temples of Abdasa, is situated in the town.
Bird Sanctury in Naliya
This town is also famous for the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary also known as Lala–Parjan Sanctuary. It is spread over 2 square kilometer, making it the smallest sanctuary in the country.
Air force base at Naliya
In view of its proximity to Pakistan, there is an air force base in Naliya. It is the closest air force base to Pakistan in west India.