PM Modi to visit Bihar, West Bengal today; what’s on agenda

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Bihar and West Bengal on August 22 to launch and inaugurate a number of development initiatives.

According to the official statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, Modi will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth around Rs 13,000 crore at Gaya in Bihar at around 11 am.

He will also flag off two trains and address a gathering. Thereafter, he will visit and inaugurate the Aunta-Simaria bridge project on the River Ganga.

The Prime Minister will flag off metro train services on the newly constructed sections in Kolkata at around 4:15 pm and undertake a metro ride from Jessore Road Metro Station to Jai Hind Bimanbandar and back, added the statement.

Further, he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth over Rs 5,200 crore at Kolkata. He will also address the gathering on the occasion.

PM Modi will inaugurate the 8.15 km long Aunta - Simaria bridge project on NH-31, including the 1.86 km long 6 lane bridge on river Ganga, constructed at a cost of over Rs 1,870 crore. It will provide direct connectivity between Mokama in Patna and Begusarai, the statement added.

The bridge has been constructed parallel to an old 2-lane dilapidated rail-cum-road bridge "Rajendra Setu" which is in poor condition, forcing heavy vehicles to re-route.

The new bridge will reduce the extra travel distance of more than 100 km for heavy vehicles travelling between North Bihar (Begusarai, Supaul, Madhubani, Purnea, Araria, etc.) and South Bihar areas (Sheikhpura, Nawada, Lakhisarai, etc.).

It will also help alleviate traffic congestion in other parts of the region by reducing the detour that these vehicles were forced to take.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the four-lane Bakhtiyarpur to Mokama section of NH-31, worth around Rs 1,900 crore, which will ease congestion, reduce travel time, and enhance passenger and freight movement.

Further, improvement to the two-lane with paved shoulders of the Bikramganj-Dawath-Nawanagar-Dumraon section of NH-120 in Bihar will improve connectivity in rural areas, providing new economic opportunities for the local population, added the statement.

Strengthening the power sector infrastructure in Bihar, the Prime Minister will inaugurate Buxar Thermal Power Plant (660x1 MW) worth around Rs 6,880 crore. It will significantly enhance power generation capacity, improve energy security, and meet the growing electricity demand of the region.

In a major boost to health infrastructure, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital & Research Centre at Muzaffarpur. The centre includes advanced Oncology OPD, IPD wards, operation theatres, a modern lab, a blood bank, and a 24-bed ICU (Intensive Care Unit) and HDU (High Dependency Unit).

This state-of-the-art facility will provide advanced and affordable cancer care to patients in Bihar and neighbouring states, reducing the need to travel to distant metros for treatment, said the statement from the PM’s office.

Furthering his vision of Swachh Bharat and ensuring Aviral and Nirmal Dhara of the river Ganga, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) and Sewerage Network at Munger constructed under Namami Gange worth over Rs 520 crore. It will help reduce pollution load in the Ganga and improve sanitation facilities in the region.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for a series of urban infrastructure projects worth around Rs 1,260 crore.

Under AMRUT 2.0, he will lay the foundation stone of water supply projects at Aurangabad, Bodhgaya and Jehanabad. These projects will provide clean drinking water, modern sewerage systems, and improved sanitation, thereby improving health standards and quality of life in the region.

Boosting rail connectivity in the region, the Prime Minister will flag off two trains. Amrit Bharat Express, which will improve passenger convenience with modern facilities, comfort, and safety, operates between Gaya and Delhi. The Buddhist Circuit Train between Vaishali and Koderma will give a boost to tourism and religious travel across key Buddhist sites in the region.

Grih Pravesh ceremonies for 12,000 rural beneficiaries under PMAY-Gramin and 4,260 beneficiaries under PMAY-Urban will also take place, with the symbolic handing over of keys to a few beneficiaries by the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister will inaugurate metro railway projects in Kolkata. A 13.61 km-long newly constructed metro network will be inaugurated, and metro services will be launched on these routes. He will visit the Jessore Road Metro Station, where he will flag off the Noapara-Jai Hind Bimanbandar metro service from Jessore Road, added the statement.

In addition, through video conferencing, he will also flag off the Sealdah-Esplanade metro service and the Beleghata-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay metro service. He will also undertake a metro ride from Jessore Road Metro Station to Jai Hind Bimanbandar and back.

At the public function, the Prime Minister will inaugurate these metro sections and a newly constructed subway at Howrah Metro Station. The Noapara-Jai Hind Bimanbandar metro service will significantly improve access to the airport.

The Sealdah-Esplanade metro will reduce the travel time between the two points from nearly 40 minutes to only 11 minutes. The Beleghata-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay metro section will play a crucial role in enhancing connectivity with the IT hub.

These metro routes will connect some of Kolkata's busiest areas, bring a notable reduction in travel time, and strengthen multimodal connectivity, benefiting lakhs of daily commuters, added the release.

In a significant boost to road infrastructure in the region, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the 7.2 km-long six-lane elevated Kona Expressway worth over Rs 1,200 crore. It will enhance connectivity between Howrah, the surrounding rural areas, and Kolkata, saving hours of travel time and giving a significant boost to trade, commerce, and tourism in the region.