ગાંધીનગર, ૨૯ ઓક્ટોબર, ૨૦૨૬: એકતાનગરમાં વાગડિયા ચેકપોસ્ટ નજીક નવા ગોરા બ્રિજ પાસે ૪૭,૦૦૦ ચોરસ મીટરમાં તૈયાર થયેલું ‘રેઇન ફોરેસ્ટ’ પ્રવાસીઓ માટે નવું આકર્ષણ બનશે. ૨૨૦ મીટર લાંબો કાચનો સ્કાયવોક, ધોધ અને પશ્ચિમ ઘાટ, હિમાલય તથા આંદામાન-નિકોબારની સદાબહાર વનસ્પતિ અહીં જોવા મળશે. વન અને પર્યાવરણ વિભાગ મુજબ તેનો ખર્ચ ₹૯.૪૯ કરોડ છે અને લોકાર્પણ વડાપ્રધાન નરેન્દ્ર મોદીના હસ્તે થવાનું હતું.

Ekta Nagar, home of the Statue of Unity in Narmada district, has a new attraction: a rain forest spread over 47,000 sq m beside the new Gora bridge, near the Vagadia checkpost. Gujarat's Forest and Environment Department said on October 29 that it was built for ₹9.49 crore and would be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Rashtriya Ekta Diwas visit on October 30–31, 2026.

The idea is to bring evergreen forest from three far-apart parts of India to one place in central Gujarat: species from the Western Ghats, the Himalaya and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been planted here.

What you will find

  • Glass skywalk — the centrepiece, a skywalk bridge about 220 metres long with a glass deck, for looking down into the canopy.
  • Waterfall and pond — a fall 5 to 8 metres high, a circular pond, and small bridges across it.
  • Stone gateway — an entrance of natural stone, 20 feet high and 40 feet wide.
  • Walking trails — paths of Narmada stone and brick-lime, lined with trees, with landscaping that shows the different layers of a rain forest, from the floor to the canopy.
  • Information centre — maps, pictures, displays and QR codes on rain-forest ecology, biodiversity and conservation.
  • Children's play area — a rock-climbing wall, slides of different heights, tree balconies linked by ladders, and swings.

Who it is for

Families get a shaded, walkable stop between the statue and the other attractions. Schools, students and researchers get a single site to study evergreen forest types that are otherwise a long trip away. The department also expects the project to support eco-tourism and local earnings around Ekta Nagar.

Before you go

The announcement did not give opening hours, ticket prices or whether entry is bundled with other Statue of Unity tickets. Check the Statue of Unity's official ticketing before planning a visit.

A note on the cost

This release gives ₹9.49 crore. The Urban Development Department's list of works for the same visit, a day later, put the Rain Forest at ₹14.30 crore. Neither explains the difference; the larger figure may include allied works, but that is not stated.

The Rain Forest was one of 31 works on that list. See the full breakdown: ₹426.71 crore of tourism and infrastructure works around the Statue of Unity. Railways ran extra trains for the celebrations: Kharagpur–Ahmedabad Special 02834/02833.

Source

  • Gujarat Information Bureau, Forest and Environment Department: press release dated 29 October 2026, “એકતા નગરમાં પ્રવાસીઓ માટે ‘રેઇન ફોરેસ્ટ’નું નવલું નજરાણું, ₹9.49 કરોડના ખર્ચે તૈયાર થયેલા પ્રોજેક્ટનું વડાપ્રધાન શ્રી નરેન્દ્ર મોદી કરશે લોકાર્પણ” (release ID 55442). Available on GIB's Department Releases page.
  • Gujarat Information Bureau, Urban Development and Urban Housing Department: press release dated 30 October 2026 (release ID 55451), for the ₹14.30 crore figure.