Governor of Tamil Nadu R. N. Ravi, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, and Union Minister Dr L. Murugan were among those present on the occasion.
AMN / Chennai
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone for six key projects worth 28,540 crore rupees at a function in Chennai. He also dedicated to the nation five projects that have been completed at a cost of 2,960 crore rupees. The total expenditure on all the eleven projects is around 31,500 crore rupees.
Some of the completed projects include the third broad-gauge line connecting Tambaram and Chengalpattu in the periphery of Chennai. Another is the 75-km long Madurai-Theni Gauge Conversion project that has been executed at a cost of over 500 crore rupees.
He also laid the foundation stone for the ambitious Chennai – Bengaluru Expressway worth 14,870 crore rupees, that covers parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.
Another major road project is the 21-kilometer long, four-lane, double-decker, elevated road connecting Chennai Port and Maduravoyal in the city, which will be built at a cost of over 5850 crore rupees.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the works on the redevelopment of the five Railway Stations at Chennai Egmore, Rameswaram, Madurai, Katpadi and Kanyakumari, at a cost of 1800 crore rupees.
The Prime Minister also handed over the keys of 1152 houses constructed at a cost of 116 crore rupees as part of the Light House Project in Chennai, under the urban component of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, to the beneficiaries.
While lauding players for their performance at Deaflympics, Mr. Modi said, the players from Tamil Nadu made excellent contributions in the recently concluded games.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of 11 projects worth over 31,500 crore rupees in Chennai. These projects will boost infrastructure development, enhance connectivity and give an impetus to ease of living in the region.
Speaking on this occasion, the Prime Minister expressed his happiness to be back in Tamil Nadu. He said, it is always wonderful to be back in Tamil Nadu. This land is special. The people, culture and language of this state are outstanding. He said that someone or the other from Tamil Nadu is always excelling. He recalled hosting the Deaflympics contingent and said, this time, it was India’s best performance in the tournament. Out of the 16 medals, we have won, youngsters from Tamil Nadu had a role in six of those medals.
Further commenting on rich Tamil culture, Mr Modi said, the Tamil language is eternal and Tamil culture is global. From Chennai to Canada, From Madurai to Malaysia, From Namakkal to New York, From Salem to South Africa, The occasions of Pongal and Puthandu are marked with great fervour.
The Prime Minister said that in the project inaugurated or laid the foundation stones, a thrust on road connectivity is visible. This is so as it is directly linked to economic prosperity. He said that Bengaluru – Chennai Expressway will connect two major centres and the Four-Lane double-decker elevated road connecting Chennai Port to Maduravoyal will make Chennai port more efficient and decongest the city. He expressed his happiness that five Railway Stations are being redeveloped. This modernisation and development are being done keeping in mind the needs of the future. At the same time, it will merge with local art and culture. Madurai-Teni Railway Gauge Conversion Project, he said, will help the farmers as it will give them new markets.
Mr Modi congratulated all those getting houses as a part of the historic Chennai Light House project under the PM-Awas Yojana. He noted that the multi-modal logistic parks will be a paradigm shift in the freight ecosystem of our country. Each of these projects across various sectors will boost job creation and our resolve to be Aatmanirbhar.
The Prime Minister said that history has taught us that those nations which gave topmost importance to infrastructure made the transition from developing to developed countries. The Government is fully focused on building infrastructure that is top quality and sustainable, he said, referring to both physical and coastal infrastructure. The aim is to achieve Garib Kalyan. The emphasis on social infrastructure indicates our emphasis on the principle of ‘Sarv Jan Hitaya and Sarv Jan Sukhaya’, he said. Mr Modi said that his government is working to achieve saturation level coverage for key schemes.
The Prime Minister remarked that the government has gone beyond what is traditionally referred to as infrastructure. A few years ago, he said, infrastructure referred to roads, power and water. Today we are working to expand India’s gas pipeline network. Work is happening on i-ways. It is the vision to bring high-speed internet to every village.
Mr Modi stressed that the government is fully committed to further popularising the Tamil language and culture. In January this year, the new campus of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil was inaugurated in Chennai. The new campus is fully funded by the Union Government. He added that the ‘Subramania Bharati Chair’ on Tamil Studies at Banaras Hindu University was recently announced. He said that since BHU is located in his constituency, the joy was extra special.
The Prime Minister said, Sri Lanka is passing through difficult times. As a close friend and neighbour, India is providing all possible support to Sri Lanka. He recalled that he was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Jaffna. The government is undertaking numerous projects to assist Tamil people in Sri Lanka. These projects cover health care, transportation, housing and culture.
The Prime Minister concluded by reiterating the country’s collective resolve to fulfil the dreams of our freedom fighters during the ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’.
Governor of Tamil Nadu R. N. Ravi, Chief Minister M. K. Stalin, and Union Minister Dr L. Murugan were among those present on the occasion.