Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 11 March inaugurated, dedicated to the nation, laid foundation stones and flagged off multiple development projects across Keralam and Tamil Nadu with a combined value of more than ₹16,000 crore.
The projects span key sectors including highways, petroleum and natural gas infrastructure, railways, rural connectivity and renewable energy.
In Keralam, the Prime Minister launched and inaugurated projects worth around ₹10,800 crore during a programme in Ernakulam.
These included major road, railway, energy and rural infrastructure initiatives aimed at improving connectivity and supporting industrial growth in the state.
A key project launched during the event was the foundation stone for a polypropylene unit at the Kochi Refinery of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited.
Being developed at an investment of more than ₹5,500 crore, the facility will have a production capacity of 400 kilo tonnes per annum and is expected to strengthen domestic polymer manufacturing while reducing import dependency.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated two major highway projects in the state.
These include the six-laning of the Thalapady-Chengala section of NH-66 built at a cost of more than ₹2,650 crore and the six-laning of the Kozhikode Bypass between Vengalam and Ramanattukara constructed at a cost of about ₹2,140 crore.
The projects are expected to reduce congestion, improve traffic capacity and enhance connectivity across northern Keralam.
According to an official statement, the upgraded Kozhikode Bypass is expected to reduce travel time along the stretch from more than one hour to around 15 to 20 minutes while improving connectivity to key locations such as Kozhikode Beach, Beypore Port and Kappad Beach.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated 23 rural roads constructed under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana in Keralam to improve connectivity in remote areas and strengthen access to markets, healthcare and education services.
In the railway sector, three stations – Shoranur Junction, Kuttippuram and Changanassery — redeveloped under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme were inaugurated.
The Shoranur-Nilambur Road railway line electrification project was also dedicated to the nation to enable faster and more efficient train operations.
The Prime Minister further flagged off a new train service between Palakkad and Pollachi and laid the foundation stone for a 50 MW floating solar project at West Kallada in Kollam district aimed at strengthening renewable energy generation.
Later in the day, the Prime Minister launched and dedicated development projects worth about ₹5,650 crore during a programme in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu.
These projects cover petroleum infrastructure, rail connectivity, highways and rural roads.
Among the key projects announced was the foundation stone for Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited’s City Gas Distribution network in The Nilgiris and Erode districts at an investment of more than ₹3,680 crore.
The network will provide piped natural gas connections to more than 8.8 lakh households and supply gas to over 200 commercial establishments while establishing more than 201 CNG stations.
The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the 672 thousand metric tonnes per annum Lube Blending Plant of Indian Oil Corporation at Manali in Chennai, built at a cost of about ₹1,490 crore.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, 89 rural roads covering a total length of 370 Km in Tamil Nadu were also inaugurated to strengthen connectivity in rural areas.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a greenfield bypass near Gangaikonda Cholapuram on NH-81.
In addition, five new train services including two Amrit Bharat Express trains, two express trains and one passenger train were flagged off to enhance rail connectivity between Tamil Nadu and several regions including Telangana, Karnataka, Keralam and eastern India.
Read also : India’s inflation near lower limit of RBI target band; government sees limited impact from crude price rise
