PM to visit TN, Pondy on Feb 25

Modi to dedicate to the nation and lay foundation stone of multiple infrastructure projects worth over Rs 12400 crores in Coimbatore
New Delhi, Feb 23: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on 25th February 2021. At around 11:30 AM, Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of various development initiatives in Puducherry. At around 4 PM, Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple infrastructure projects worth over Rs 12400 crores in Coimbatore.

PM in Tamil Nadu: Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the Neyveli New Thermal Power Project. It is a lignite based power plant designed for power generation capacity of 1000 MW, and has two units of 500 MW capacity each. Built at a cost of about Rs 8000 crore, the pit head power plant will utilise lignite as fuel from the existing mines of Neyveli, which have sufficient lignite reserves for meeting the lifetime requirement of the project. The Plant has been designed for 100% Ash utilization. The power generated would benefit Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Puducherry, with Tamil Nadu having the major share of about 65%.

Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation the 709 MW Solar Power Project of NLCIL, established over an area of about 2670 acres of land across the districts of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin, Ramanathapuram and Virudhunagar. The project has been set up at a cost of over Rs 3000 crore.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the extension, renovation and modernisation of Lower Bhavani Project System. The Bhavanisagar dam and the canal systems were completed in the year 1955. The Lower Bhavani System comprises Lower Bhavani Project Canal System, Arakankottai & Thadapalli Channels, and Kalingarayan Channel. It irrigates over 2 lakh acres of land in Erode, Tiruppur and Karur districts. The extension, renovation and modernisation of Lower Bhavani System has been taken up at a cost of Rs. 934 crore under NABARD Infrastructure Development Assistance. The main objective is to rehabilitate the existing irrigation structures in the system and increase the efficiency of the canals. Apart from lining of the canals, repair and reconstruction of 824 sluices, 176 drainages and 32 bridges will also be taken up.

Prime Minister will inaugurate the 8-laning of Korampallam Bridge and Rail Over Bridge (ROB) at V.O.Chidambaranar Port. It is one of the Major Ports in India. At present, 76% of the cargo is transported through road from/to the Port using the existing Korampallam bridge, which was constructed in early 1964 with a 14m wide carriageway. An average of about 3000 heavy loaded cargo trucks move daily over this bridge, creating heavy congestion over the road and consequent delays and increase in turnaround time. In order to provide seamless evacuation of cargo and to avoid traffic congestion in the port area, the project of 8-laning of the existing Korampallam bridge and Rail Over bridge has been implemented. It involves widening on either side of the bridge and adding two lanes (8.5m) on either side, along with widening the existing bituminous road on either side from TTPS Circle to City Link Circle. Constructed at a cost of about Rs. 42 crore, the project has been implemented with funding support under the Sagarmala programme.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for design, supply, installation and commissioning of a 5MW grid connected ground based solar power plant at V.O.Chidambaranar Port. The project, to be set up at an estimated cost of about Rs 20 crore, will generate over 80 lakh units (KWH) per annum, meeting 56% of the total energy consumption of the Port, thereby helping reduce carbon footprint of port operations.

With an aim to boost ease of living, Prime Minister will inaugurate the tenements constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) scheme. Built by the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board, these include 1280 tenements at Veerapandi, Tiruppur; 1248 tenements at Thirukumaran Nagar, Tiruppur; 1088 tenements at Rajakkur Phase-II in Madurai and 528 tenements at Irungalur in Trichy. These tenements have been constructed at a cost of over Rs 330 crore. Each of these tenements, to be allotted to urban poor/slum dwellers, has a plinth area of 400 sq.feet and has been provided with a multipurpose hall, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and toilet. Black top road, streets lights, sewage treatment plant and social amenities like ration shop, anganwadi centre, library and shops have also been provided.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for development of Integrated Command and Control Centers (ICCC) in nine Smart Cities including Coimbatore, Madurai, Salem, Thanjavur, Vellore, Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, Tirunelveli and Thoothukudi. These ICCCs would be developed at a cost of about Rs 107 crore, and would act as a 24×7 support system, providing real time smart solutions for quicker services, with the aim of integrating essential government services and enabling data based decision making.

PM in Puducherry: Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for 4 laning of NH45-A – 56 kms Sattanathapuram – Nagapattinam package of Villupuram to Nagapattinam project covering Karaikal District. The capital cost to be incurred in this project is about Rs. 2426 crore. He will also lay the foundation stone of the Medical College Building at Karaikal New Campus- Phase I, Karaikal District (JIPMER). The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 491 crore.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for development of Minor Port at Puducherry under Sagarmala Scheme. Estimated to be built at Rs 44 crore, it will provide connectivity to Chennai and facilitate cargo movement for industries in Puducherry. He will also lay the foundation stone of Synthetic Athletic Track, Indira Gandhi Sports Complex, Puducherry. The existing 400 mts cinder track surface is old and outdated running surface. The project will cost around Rs. 7 crore.

Prime Minister will inaugurate the Blood Centre at Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education & Research (JIPMER), Puducherry, which will function as a research laboratory and a training centre for short- term and continuous blood bank personnel training in all aspects of transfusion. It has been set up at a cost of Rs. 28 crore.

Prime Minister will inaugurate a 100 bed girls’ hostel at Lawspet, Puducherry. It has been constructed for female athletes at a cost of about Rs 12 crore, under the aegis of Sports Authority of India. He will also inaugurate the reconstructed Heritage Marie Building. A landmark of the history of Puducherry, Marie Building was built by the French and it has now been rebuilt with the same building architecture, at a cost of about Rs. 15 crore.