Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Tuesday lay foundation stones for various development initiatives and inaugurate projects, including an airport here, with a total value of over Rs 16,800 crore.
Elaborate arrangements have been made for the prime minister's visit to Deoghar where he will take part in an 11.5-km-long road show and pay obeisance at Baba Baidyanath Dham Temple, one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, officials said.
All security arrangements have been made for about four-hour programme of the prime minister at Deoghar where he will lay foundation and inaugurate projects worth Rs 16,800 crore, including a 657-acre airport built at a cost of Rs 401 crore, they said. Low-cost carrier IndiGo had last week announced that it would launch the Kolkata-Deoghar flight service on July 12.
Modi had laid the foundation stone of the Deoghar airport on May 25, 2018 as a key step towards providing direct connectivity to Baba Baidyanath Dham (the Shiva temple), which is an important religious destination for devotees from all over the country.
The prime minister will also dedicate to the nation the In-Patient Department (IPD) and operation theatre services at AIIMS, Deoghar.
Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for multiple road, energy and other infrastructure projects. According to officials, the projects include widening of Palamu-Gumla road, Rehla-Garhwa bypass and Mirza Chowki-Farakka road besides elevated corridor from Kutchery Chowk to Piska More and Itki RoB in Ranchi.
Widening of Gorhar-Khairatunda road, Khairatunda-Barwa Adda section and Ranchi-Mahulia section are also among the projects. Ranchi station redevelopment, Jasidih bypass newline, Godda Coach Maintenance depot, Garhwa-Mahuria doubling project are also part of railway projects that the PM will inaugurate or lay foundation stone.
Other projects include creation of a facility and pipeline network at CBM Jharia block in Parbatpur, Bokaro-Angul section of Jagdishpur-Haldia-Bokaro-Dhamra pipeline and LPG plants at Barhi and Bokaro. Over one lakh earthen lamps were lit by BJP workers and locals across the district on Monday evening welcoming the PM, the saffron party's Jharkhand unit said on Twitter.
PM Modi had on Monday shared details of his itinerary. "Will have the fortune of 'darshan' and worship at Baba Baidyanath Temple at the holy city of Deoghar just before the beginning of Shravan. On July 12, will get the opportunity of inaugurating the airport. This will make the journey for devotees easier and boost tourism in Jharkhand (sic)," he wrote.
He had also said Baidyanath Dham Deoghar is "one of the most sacred sites for us" and draws people from all over the world. During the programme, some components of the development project at the temple will be inaugurated which would boost spiritual tourism, he said on the microblogging site.
Enthusiasm was palpable among BJP workers over the PM's programme, with some of the saffron party leaders, including Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey, calling the planned road show a "historic event".
Posters and banners welcoming the PM have been put up in several parts of Deoghar. According to officials, lakhs of people are expected to witness or take part in the road show and measures are being taken in the region to ensure that the programme passes off smoothly.
Drones have been deployed to monitor the road show, they said. Deoghar Deputy Commissioner Majunath Bhajantri urged devotees to visit the Baidyanath Dham only after 3.30 pm on Tuesday to avoid any inconvenience caused due to the security arrangements.
He also said that people from far and wide had been arriving in Deoghar to participate in the 'Shravani mela', which is set to commence on July 14, and arrangements have been made for their safety, too.
Chief Minister Hemant Soren had on Sunday held a high-level meeting with senior officials and police officers to take stock of the preparation and security arrangements ahead of the PM's visit.
(With PTI inputs)
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
