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New Delhi : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu and Kerala on February 14, 2021. At around 11:15 am, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for several key projects and hand over Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Army at Chennai.
At around 3:30 pm, Prime Minister Modi will lay the foundation stone and dedicate various projects to the nation at Kochi, Kerala. These projects will add crucial momentum to the growth trajectory of these states and help hasten the pace of realising full development potential.
PM in Tamil Nadu : The Prime Minister will inaugurate the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension completed at a cost of Rs 3,770 crore and commission the passenger services from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar. This 9.05 km long extension will link North Chennai with the Airport and Central Railway Station.
The PM will inaugurate the fourth Railway line between Chennai Beach and Attipattu. This 22.1 km section, laid at a cost of Rs 293.40 crore, traverses through Chennai and Thiruvallur Districts and will ease out traffic from Chennai Port. This section connects the Chennai Port and Ennore Port and passes through major yards providing operational flexibility for the movement of trains.
The PM will also inaugurate the Railway Electrification of single line section in Villupuram – Cuddalore – Mayiladuthurai – Thanjavur and Mayiladuthurai-Thiruvarur. Completed at a cost of Rs 423 crore, the electrification of this 228 km route will enable free flow of traffic without the need for a change of traction between Chennai Egmore and Kanyakumari and would result in saving of Rs 14.61 lakh per day on fuel cost, according to a PIB release.
During the event, Prime Minister will hand over the State-of-the-Art Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Indian Army. This Battle Tank has been indigenously designed, developed and manufactured by CVRDE, DRDO, along with 15 academic institutions, 8 labs, and several MSMEs.
He will lay the foundation for the extension, renovation and modernisation of the Grand Anicut Canal System. The canal is important for irrigation in the delta districts. The modernization of this canal will be taken up at a cost of Rs.2,640 crore. He will also lay the foundation for the Discovery Campus of IIT Madras. The Campus will be built at Thaiyur near Chennai at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore.
PM in Kerala : The PM will dedicate to the nation the Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project (PDPP) of BPCL. The complex will produce Acrylates, Acrylic Acid and Oxo-Alcohol, which are at present predominantly imported, and is expected to result in saving of about Rs 3,700 to Rs 4,000 crore/annum in foreign exchange. Constructed at a capital cost of about Rs 6,000 crore, the PDPP Complex has been set up close to the refinery to achieve integration of feedstock supply, utilities, off-sites and other facilities. With the commissioning, Kochi Refinery has become the first Indian refinery to produce niche petrochemicals.
The PM will also dedicate to the nation Ro-Ro Vessels at Willingdon Islands, Cochin. The International Waterway Authority of India will deploy two new Roll-on/ Roll-off vessels between Bolgatty and Willingdon Island on National Waterway-3. The Ro-Ro vessels, MV Adi Shankara and MV CV Raman, will have the capacity to carry six 20-feet trucks, three 20-feet trailer trucks, three 40-feet trailer trucks and 30 passengers each.
The PM will also inaugurate the International Cruise Terminal “Sagarika” at Cochin Port. Situated at the Ernakulam Wharf on Willingdon Island, it is India’s first full-fledged international cruise terminal. It has state-of-the-art facilities and has been constructed at a cost of Rs 25.72 crore.
He will also inaugurate the Marine Engineering Training Institute, Vigyana Sagar, Cochin Shipyard Ltd. It is a premier Maritime Learning Centre and is the only Maritime institute in India functioning within a shipyard having extended training facilities for trainees on various vessels under construction or repair. Constructed at a capital cost of Rs 27.5 crore, the institute has an intake capacity of 114 fresh graduates. The PN will also lay the foundation of Reconstruction of South Coal Berth at Cochin Port. It is being reconstructed at an estimated cost of Rs 19.19 crore under the Sagarmala Scheme.