Patna: Chandrahiya, a village in Bihar's East Champaran district, which first hogged the limelight during Mahatma Gandhi's Champaran movement, will soon boast of a theme park on Mahatma.

The Centre has provided Rs 11.25 crore for execution of the theme park project, which would come up on land provided by the state government. The Bihar state tourism development corporation is the agency that will implement the project, part of the Gandhi circuit project.

Chandrahiya holds a special position in the Champaran movement. On April 16, 1917, Gandhi was stopped at this village when he was on his way to the hamlet of Jasaulipatti to listen to problems faced by farmers who were being forced to cultivate indigo instead of food crops.

A police official, riding a horse-driven buggy, had served a notice to Gandhi, issued by then Champaran collector WB Heycock, ordering him to leave the district limits immediately. Gandhi ji had obeyed the order and returned to Motihari on a bullock cart. But he refused to leave Champaran and, two days later, appeared in the court of the sub-divisional magistrate and gave reasons for not leaving Champaran, leading to the beginning of the Champaran Satyagraha.

"The tender process for commencing work on the Gandhi theme park has been completed and work would start very soon," an official of the tourism development corporation told The Telegraph and said it would take 18 months to complete the project.

A spinning wheel measuring 6,000 mm in length and 3,000 mm in height will be one of the main attractions of the theme park.

Development of pathways, exhibitions in which things related to Gandhi's life are highlighted, development of a water body and landscaping of the park are some important components of the project.

The project has also taken care of the convenience of the visitors and entails construction of a cafeteria, drinking water facility, toilets and sufficient parking space.

"Five battery-operated vehicles, too, will be put in service in the park for visitors to move around easily," said the BSTDC official.

The park would meet its power requirement using solar energy and solar photo voltaic power generation system would be put in place for this purpose.

A thematic huge gate would be a major attraction of the park and it would also help the visitors identify the park easily. "Every detail of this project has been worked out with great care and after completion it is bound to attract many visitors, as they will get to know details about the Champaran movement in an environment-friendly surrounding where special care is given to sanitation," the official said.