Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched the first phase of the Rs 615-crore “roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro)” ferry service between Ghogha in Bhavnagar district and Dahej in Bharuch in the Gulf of Cambay in Gujarat.

“This programme may be for a ferry between Ghogha and Dahej, but it is of vital importance for the entire nation,” Modi said at the launch. “Ferry service is a first of sorts. It is a dream come true for people of Gujarat.”

The ferry service will connect Saurashtra and South Gujarat. Modi said the programme will save time and petrol, and thus, also conserve the environment. “Gujarat is blessed with a long coastline, and we should harness opportunities arising out of this,” the prime minister said, adding that the state government is planning to start other ferry routes as well. “We took steps to develop coastal infrastructure.”

Modi claimed that when he was the chief minister of Gujarat, he faced hostility from the United Progressive Alliance-led Centre. “Efforts were made to stall industries and Gujarat’s growth, but over the past three years, we have changed that and given importance to the development of Gujarat,” he added.

Image Credit: BJP4India/Twitter

The prime minister also inaugurated the Sarvottam Cattle Feed Plant of Shree Bhavnagar District Cooperative Milk Producers Union Limited. “I am also here with regard to a project in dairy sector, a sector to which we have given immense importance over the last two decades,” he said. “I urge people to explore opportunities in animal husbandry.”

Modi is expected to inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a number of other projects in Bhavnagar and Vadodara. This is his third visit to the poll-bound state this month. Modi will flag off projects worth more than Rs 1,140 crore in Vadodara.

The prime minister was welcomed by Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel when he reached Bhavnagar on Sunday.

This could be Modi’s last visit to Gujarat before the Model Code of Conduct comes into effect in the state. The Election Commission has not announced the poll dates for Gujarat yet, a decision the Congress had criticised last week. The party alleged that the polling monitor had delayed announcing the dates so the BJP could offer more schemes to voters.

“The EC has authorised Prime Minister [Narendra Modi] to announce the date of the Gujarat elections at his last rally,” Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram had tweeted.

The Model Code of Conduct comes into effect as soon as voting dates are announced, banning politicians from announcing freebies until elections are over.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been in power in Gujarat for the past two decades.