New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch a series of infrastructure projects during his day-long tour to Odisha and Kerala on Tuesday. The BJP is keen to establish its footprints in both the states.
In Odisha, he will dedicate to the nation a Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) in Jharsuguda and other developmental projects, and inaugurate a new railway line between Balangir and Bichupali.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for a permanent building at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sonepur, official sources said.
The MMLP has been constructed at a cost of '100 crore and will facilitate export-import and domestic cargo including, private freight traffic.
It is located adjacent to the Howrah-Mumbai line which is 5 km from Jharsuguda railway station. Many important industries including steel, cement, paper are located around the facility and will benefit from it.
The 15 km Balangir-Bichupali new railway line will connect Odisha with the western parts of the state synchronising development across the state, sources said.
It will reduce travel time from Bhubaneswar and Puri to major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. The line would also benefit many small, medium and cottage industries in Odisha and open up opportunities for the mining sector in the state.
Mr Modi is also likely to dedicate to the nation electrification of 813 km of Jharsuguda-Vizinagaram and Sambalpur-Angul lines done at a cost of Rs 1,085 crore. It will ensure seamless rail connectivity on the line.
The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the renovation and restoration works at Nilamadhav and Siddheshwar temple in Gandhaharadi (Boudh).These are some of the earliest instances of Odishan temple architecture celebrating western Odisha's 'Hara-Hari" cultural fabric.
In Kerala, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Kollam bypass on National Highway 66. It is a 13 km-long two-lane bypass, and includes three major bridges over the Ashtamudi lake.
The project will cut travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, and will also decongest traffic in Kollam town.
In Thiruvananthapuram, he will visit the Padmanabhaswamy temple and is likely to unveil a plaque to mark the launch of visitor facilities there.
This will be the third official visit of the Prime Minister to Kollam. His first visit to the city was in December 2015, when he unveiled the statue of R Sankar. The Prime Minister had also visited Kollam in April 2016, hours after a fire tragedy.
