PM Modi to inaugurate, lay foundations of Rs 75 bn projects in Chhattisgarh

It was reported that Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel had chaired a high-level meeting to assess the preparedness for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state capital on July 7. Following that, a series of meetings were held, involving the chief secretary, director general of police, and various officials, to discuss matters such as security arrangements, crowd management, traffic, and other related factors. It was announced that the Prime Minister would be visiting Raipur to participate in a series of programs and a public meeting. The Chief Secretary, Amitabh Jain, instructed officials to ensure adequate arrangements for security, traffic management, power supply, provision of drinking water, and health facilities. He emphasised the need for the department responsible for organizing the event to be well-prepared. According to the information provided, it was stated that more than 2,000 security personnel would be deployed at the event site, and the program would be monitored by 20 IPS officers, 24 administrative officers, and special teams from the crime branch to maintain security in the vicinity. In the meantime, security in Raipur city had been strengthened, and vehicles were being checked, with policemen stationed at all busy locations in the city. Additionally, it was mentioned that BJP leaders in Raipur had been distributing invitation cards door-to-door, inviting citizens to the public meeting on July 7. As part of the ritual accompanying the invitation card, they were also distributing small packets of yellow rice. As part of the Prime Minister's visit to four states on July 7 and 8, it had been scheduled for him to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for projects worth approximately Rs 75 billion in Raipur. This included five National Highway projects in Chhattisgarh, which were planned to be featured in a public program around 10:45 am. Prime Minister would dedicate and lay the foundation stone for five National Highway projects worth around Rs 64 billion, aiming to boost infrastructure development. The projects to be dedicated to the nation included the four-laning of the 33 km long Raipur to Kodebod section on the Jabalpur-Jagdalpur National Highway, which was crucial for the movement of raw goods and finished products of steel plants near Jagdalpur and provided connectivity to iron ore-rich areas. Furthermore, the Prime Minister was also scheduled to dedicate the 53 km long 4-lane Bilaspur-Pathrapali stretch of the Bilaspur to Ambikapur section of NH-130. This project aimed to improve the connectivity of Chhattisgarh with Uttar Pradesh and facilitate the movement of coal by connecting coal mines in the surrounding areas. Additionally, Modi would lay the foundation stone for three national highway projects for the Chhattisgarh Section of the six-lane greenfield Raipur-Visakhapatnam corridor. This project was expected to enhance connectivity for rice mills in Dhamtari, bauxite-rich areas in Kanker, and benefit the handicraft industry in Kondagaon. Overall, it was believed that these projects would significantly contribute to the socio-economic development of the region. Finally, it was announced that the Prime Minister would officially inaugurate the doubling of the 103 km long Raipur-Khariar road rail line, which had been completed at a cost of Rs 7.5 billion. This development would facilitate the transportation of coal, steel, fertilisers, and other commodities from ports to industries in Chhattisgarh. Also read: KEC bags new orders worth Rs 1,042 cr15km pod taxi corridor in Noida up for grabs