PM Modi To Inaugurate Infrastructure Projects Worth Over Rs 35,000 Crore In Andhra, Poll-Bound Telangana

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will launch thousands of crores of rupees worth initiatives and projects in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana on Saturday. 

Andhra Pradesh: economic corridor, petrol refinery, gas pipeline, ports, railways

Among those proposed are inauguration of the Rs 26,000 crore expansion and modernisation of HPCL's petroleum refinery, first phase of the new green campus of Indian Institute of Management Visakhapatnam and a cruise terminal at the Visakhapatnam Port in Andhra Pradesh. He will also address a public meeting.

On the second day of his two-day tour of the state, the Prime Minister launched nine projects worth Rs 15,233 crore in virtual mode from the Andhra University Engineering College grounds and unveiled a plaque.

Modi dedicated the 39-km Narasannapeta to Pathapatnam section of NH-326A built at a cost of Rs 211 crore as part of the Srikakulam-Gajapati Corridor. This project will provide faster connectivity between various industrial nodes of Chhattisgarh and Odisha to Visakhapatnam Port and Chennai – Kolkata National Highway. It will also improve connectivity to tribal and backward areas of AP and Odisha.

Modi laid foundation stone for the AP section of six-lane 100-km access-controlled greenfield Raipur- Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor of NH-130CD that will be built at a cost of Rs 3,778 crore. The project is expected to be completed by October 2024, with a provision for expansion to 10-lane in future.

Among others, the PM laid the foundation stone for a dedicated Port road from Convent Junction to Sheela Nagar Junction in Visakhapatnam. The Rs 566 crore project will serve as a dedicated freight corridor for Visakhapatnam Port traffic and ease traffic congestion in the city. The road will be completed by March 2025.

As part of the Natural Gas Grid (NGG), the PM inaugurated the 745-km Srikakulam Angul Natural Gas Pipeline Project of GAIL, built at a cost of Rs 2,650 crore, which will create vital infrastructure for supply of natural gas to households, industries, commercial units and automobile sector in AP and Odisha. The pipeline will supply natural gas to the City Gas Distribution Network in Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts of AP.

The Prime Minister also virtually inaugurated the Grass Root petroleum depot at Guntakal built by the Union Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas at a cost of Rs 385 crore.

Additionally, Modi on Saturday dedicated to the nation the Rs 2,917 crore U-field Onshore Deepwater Block project of ONGC in Andhra Pradesh. It is the deepest gas discovery project with a production potential of about three million metric standard cubic metres per day (MMSCMD).

The long-delayed modernisation of the Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour will finally take-off as the Prime Minister laid the foundation for the Rs 152 crore project. This will double the handling capacity from 150 to 300 tonnes per day and provide safe landing and berthing.

He also dedicated the Vijayawada-Gudivada-Bhimavaram, Gudivada-Machilipatnam-Bhimavaram-Narasapuram railway lines doubling and electrification project to the nation. The project was completed last month at a cost of Rs 4,106 crore.

Finally, Modi also laid the foundation stone for the ambitious redevelopment project of Visakhapatnam Railway station. The Rs 446 crore project taken up by the Rail Land Development Authority assumes significance as Visakhapatnam will soon transform into the headquarters of new South Coastal Railway Zone.

Government officials said the redevelopment of Visakhapatnam railway station will have a multiplier impact on the local economy and further accentuate growth. “Visakhapatnam is one of the fastest growing cities in the country. The growth of the IT sector in recent times has significantly boosted the economic activities in the city,” they said.

The upgraded station will be universally accessible with state-of-the-art skywalks facilitating seamless passenger movement. A Roof Plaza connecting the departure halls with a common waiting area will be constructed above the platforms for facilitating easy movement of passengers. A commercial area over the Multi-Level Car Parking, an Internet of Things-based smart parking management system, retail and office spaces, retiring rooms and a medical emergency room are some of the features planned as part of the redevelopment.

Telangana: fertilizer plant, rail and road projects

Later, in neighbouring Telangana, the Prime Minister would dedicate to the nation a fertilizer plant at Ramagundam, besides inaugurating and laying foundation stone for multiple development projects in the state. 

Modi would inaugurate the RFCL fertilizer plant at Ramagundam in Peddapalli district which has been revived at a cost of Rs 6,338 crore, where commercial production began last year. 

The PM would also inaugurate 54.1 km of railway line from Bhadrachalam Road to Sattupalli built with a budget of Rs 990 crore.

He will lay the foundation stone of various road projects which would be taken up with a budget of Rs 2,268 crore. Modi will address a public meeting at the Begumpet airport in the poll-bound Telangana.

The state of Telangana goes for assembly polls in December next year.

(With inputs from PTI)