PM Modi’s popular tea stall at Vadnagar railway station to be a tourist spot !

The tea stall in Gujarat’s Vadnagar, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi sold tea during his childhood, will soon be developed as a tourist spot, said Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma, after visiting the town on Sunday.

“Inside the Vadnagar railway station, there is a small tea stall, from where our PM had probably started his life’s journey. We also want to develop that tea stall as a tourism spot. We will try to preserve the original charm of the tea stall while giving it a modern touch. Our aim is to put Vadnagar on world tourism map,”Sharma said.

However, he issued a clarification on Monday in Delhi, saying that although there was a plan to develop the Vadnagar railway station as a tourist destination, there was no proposal for giving a facelift to the tea stall.

“The Ministry of Tourism along with the Ministry of Railways are developing the Vadnagar railway station as a tourist destination. We have already discussed the plans. As of now, there are no plans to give any facelift to the tea stall,” Sharma added. 

The stall is located on one of the platforms of the Vadnagar Railway station.

Officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had visited the town on Sunday.

The team of officials was led by Sharma, who later announced that the original charm of the tea stall will be preserved while giving it a modern touch.

Apart from being the birthplace of our PM, Vadnagar is an important historical centre having famous Sharmishta Lake and a beautiful step-well. ASI had recently found remains of a Buddhist Monastery during excavation, which is still going on.

Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had often mentioned that he used to sell tea during his childhood at the Vadnagar railway station along with his father.

Earlier, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ahmedabad Dinesh Kumar had said that the entire project of developing Vadnagar and adjoining places in Mehsana district would cost over Rs. 100 crore.

The development of Vadnagar railway station is one of the components of the Rs. 100 crore project to develop Vadnagar, Modhera and Patan as tourist destinations. As of now, the Ministry of Tourism has given Rs. 8 crore to the State Tourism Department to develop the railway station.