PM Modi unveils projects worth over Rs 4,500 crore in Bangladesh

He said the projects launched on the day are the steps we are taking towards achieving ‘Viksit Bengal’.

Siliguri:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled infrastructure projects worth over Rs 4,500 crore in northern West Bengal. The projects were unveiled at a project in Siliguri, the region’s largest city, during the prime minister’s third visit to the state this month.

Governor CV Ananda Bose was among those present at the programme.

Speaking about this function, Prime Minister Modi said eastern India was neglected after independence but his government considers it to be the country’s growth engine.

“The development of the state, especially in the northern region, has been a priority for our government over the past 10 years. We need 21st century infrastructure to promote development in the region,” he said.

An official statement said the Prime Minister launched several railway line electrification projects that will benefit the people of northern West Bengal and nearby areas.

It is said that these railway lines include Eklakhi-Balurghat, Barsoi-Radhikapur, Raninagar Jalpaiguri-Haldibari section, Siliguri-Aluabari section via Bagdogra and Siliguri-Sivok-Alipurduar Junction-Samuktala section.

“We have completed the electrification of railways here, which will not only speed up connectivity but also make the surrounding areas pollution-free,” PM Modi said.

“The people of neighboring Bihar will also benefit from the electrification process,” he said.

He said the projects launched on the day are the steps we are taking towards achieving ‘Viksit Bengal’.

“There was a time when trains would slow down while traveling towards the northeast, but not anymore. We are streamlining development here,” PM Modi said.

He also inaugurated the doubling of the railway line in the Manigram-Nimtita section and the inauguration of the automatic block signaling system in the Ambari-Farrakatta-Arubari section. The Prime Minister also announced the launch of new passenger train services between Siliguri and Radhikapur, the statement said.

The projects will improve rail connectivity, facilitate freight transport and contribute to job creation and economic growth in the region, the report said.

“We now have train services from West Bengal to Bangladesh. We are working with the Bangladesh government to bridge the gap between the two countries,” the prime minister said.

Prime Minister Modi claimed that allocations for railway projects in West Bengal, especially in the northern regions, have been increased several times under the BJP rule.

The Prime Minister also launched two national highway projects worth Rs 3,100 crore.

They are the four-lane Ghoshpukur-Dhupguri stretch and the four-lane Islampur bypass on NH 27. The Ghoshpukur-Dhupguri section is part of the North-South Transport Corridor, connecting eastern India with the rest of the country.

In two visits earlier this month, the Prime Minister visited different districts of south West Bengal – Hooghly, Nadia and North 24 Parganas – considered TMC strongholds.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP swept northern West Bengal, the region where the prime minister is visiting.

On March 1, the Prime Minister unveiled projects worth Rs 7,200 crore at Arambagh in Hooghly district and on March 2, he unveiled projects worth Rs 15,000 crore at Krishna Nagar in Nadia. On March 6, he inaugurated several metro projects in Kolkata.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)