Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in West Bengal on March 1 and 2 to launch multiple development projects worth over Rs 22,200 crore, a visit which becomes politically significant as well as it comes amid the BJP’s sharp attack on the state government over the Sandeshkhali issue.
An official statement said that on March 2 Modi will launch many development projects, worth over nearly Rs 1.83 lakh-crore, from Bihar for across the country in his first visit to the state after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar quit the opposition bloc and joined hands with the BJP.
While the projects to be launched from Bihar are meant for regions spread across the country, a sizeable part of them will be based in the state. The prime minister will inaugurate and lay foundation of numerous development projects worth over Rs 35,700 core in Jharkhand too on March 1, the statement added. In Bengal, he will attend public programmes in Arambagh on March 1 and Krishnanagar on March 2, while in Bihar he will visit Aurangabad and Begusarai, it said.
His visit to Bengal comes amid rising political heat in the state after many women in Sandeshkhali accused ruling Trinamool Congress strongman Shajahan Sheikh and other members of the party of land grab and sexual assault, an issue seized by the BJP to corner its rival. Giving details of the project, the PMO said Modi will inaugurate the Sindri fertiliser plant of the Hindustan Urvarak & Rasayan Ltd (HURL) in Jharkhand.
Developed at a cost of more than Rs 8,900 crore, the plant will result in adding 12.7 lakh metric tonnes (LMT) per annum indigenous urea production in the country, in a big step toward self-sufficiency in the key fertiliser. This is the third fertiliser plant to be revived in the country after those at Gorakhpur and Ramagundam which were also inaugurated by the prime minister in December 2021 and November 2022, respectively.
The statement said the PM will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several rail projects worth more than Rs 17,600 crore in Jharkhand. Another key project to be inaugurated in the state is the Unit 1 (660 MW) of North Karanpura Super Thermal Power Project (STPP) in Chatra. Developed at a cost of more than Rs 7,500 crore, it will lead to improved power supply in the region, boost employment generation and contribute to socioeconomic development in the state.
In Arambagh in West Bengal, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of developmental projects related to sectors like rail, ports, oil pipeline, LPG supply and wastewater treatment. He will inaugurate Indian Oil’s 518-km Haldia-Barauni crude oil pipeline developed at a cost of about Rs 2,790 crore.
This pipeline passes through Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal and will supply crude oil to Barauni, Bongaigaon and Guwahati refineries in a safe, cost-efficient, and environment-friendly manner, the statement said.
He will also launch multiple projects for strengthening of infrastructure at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata worth about Rs 1000 crore. In Krishnanagar, the statement said he will lay the foundation stone of Raghunathpur Thermal Power Station phase II (2×660 MW) located at Raghunathpur in Purulia district. This coal based thermal power project of the Damodar Valley Corporation employs highly-efficient super critical technology.
The new plant will be a step towards strengthening the energy security of the country, it said. Among other projects, he will inaugurate the flue gas desulfurization (FGD) system of the unit 7 & 8 of the Mejia thermal power station developed at a cost of about Rs 650 crore and the road project for four laning of Farakka-Raiganj section of NH-12 developed at a cost of about Rs 1,986 crore.
In Bihar’s Aurangabad, he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for several national highway projects worth more than Rs 18,100 crores. He will also lay the foundation stone of the six-lane bridge across Ganga that will be developed as a part of the Patna ring road. It will be one of the longest river bridges in the country and help decongest traffic through the capital city and provide faster and better connectivity between the north and south regions of the state.
He will also inaugurate 12 projects under Namami Gange in Bihar that have been developed at a cost of about Rs 2,190 crore.
In Begusarai in Bihar, the projects to be launched will witness a significant boost to the energy sector in the country as he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for multiple oil and gas projects worth about Rs 1.48 lakh-crore.
The projects are spread across the country in various states like Bihar, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab and Karnataka along with KG Basin.
The oil and gas sector projects worth about Rs 14,000 crore will be taken up in Bihar. This includes foundation stone laying of the expansion of the Barauni refinery with project cost of more than Rs 11,400 crore.
He will also inaugurate the HURL’s fertiliser plant in Barauni which has been developed at a cost of over Rs 9,500 crore. The prime minister will launch several railway projects worth about Rs 3,917 crore as well, the statement said.
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