Surat (Gujarat): For the longest time, the Pentagon, which is the headquarters of the US Army, has been the world’s largest office. However, the epithet has now passed to the newly constructed ‘Surat Diamond Bourse’ in Gujarat.
Encompassing 4,500 offices for national and international traders, Surat Diamond Bourse aims to promote imports, exports, and trading of diamonds, gems, and jewellery from India. Famous across the state for its design, the bourse is built at a cost of about Rs 3000 crore and can accommodate 65,000 diamond professionals at a time bringing cutters, polishers, and traders under a single roof for the first time.
The work on its nine, 15-storey, towers has been completed and the building is expected to be functional by November 2023.
The forming opening event will be graced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Praising the remarkable building, Prime Minister Modi also shared a clip on CNN, presenting a bird’s eye view video of the building, saying, “Surat Diamond Bourse showcases the dynamism and growth of Surat’s diamond industry. It is also a testament to India’s entrepreneurial spirit. It will serve as a hub for trade, innovation and collaboration, further boosting our economy and creating employment opportunities.”
The Diamond Bourse is expected to generate employment for 1.5 lakh people and the diamond industry businessmen are estimated to record an annual turnover of about 2 to 2.5 lakh crores.
The ambitious project was implemented by Indian firm Morphogenesis. Its CEO, Mahesh Gadhavi, told CNN that surpassing the Pentagon in terms of size was not their target but it was ensuring that the people, who travel more than three and a half to four hours daily, to workplaces and back home again can consider relocating to Surat.
Gadhavi added that the design of the building is such that no office will take more than five minutes to reach from any of the building’s entry gates.
Gujarat is also home to the world’s tallest statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel — the Statue of Unity — the world’s largest Solar Renewable Energy Park, and the largest cricket stadium.
Now, Surat’s Diamond Bourse will be the new feather in Gujarat’s cap.
