Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for multiple connectivity projects worth around Rs 18,680 crore in West Bengal and said a new chapter of India’s development was being written from the state.
“Today, from Kolkata, a new chapter of development is being written for West Bengal and Eastern India. These new projects related to roads, railway and ports will give momentum to Bengal’s modern future, boost trade and industry and make lives easier for lakhs of people with new opportunities,” Modi said.
PM Modi laid the foundation stone for five sections of the 231 km-long four-lane Kharagpur-Moregram economic corridor, which would reduce the distance by around 120 km and save nearly seven to eight hours.
The road, which is part of the economic corridor between Kharagpur and Siliguri, will pass through Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Hooghly, Purba Bardhaman, Birbhum and Murshidabad districts. “I congratulate the people of West Bengal and the entire Eastern India for these transformative projects,” said PM Modi.
The corridor will integrate key National Highways, including NH-16, NH-19, NH-14 and NH-12, thereby boosting multi-corridor connectivity.
The PM also laid the foundation stone for the construction of a 5.6 km-long four-lane Dubrajpur Bypass and additional four-lane major bridges over the Kangshabati and Shilabati rivers on NH-14.
He inaugurated sections of NH-19 and NH-114, which, he said, “will enhance road safety, reduce travel time, ease congestion and pollution, improve regional connectivity, and boost tourism and economic growth in the region.”
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The PM inaugurated six stations — Kamakhyaguri, Anara, Tamluk, Haldia, Barabhum, and Siuri — which were redeveloped as Amrit Bharat stations.
A new express train service between Purulia and Anand Vihar Terminal was also flagged off. “This train service will benefit not only the people of West Bengal but also those in Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi,” he said.
PM Modi dedicated two railway projects to the nation — the 16 km-long third railway line between Belda and Dantan and the automatic block signalling system between Kalaikunda and Kanimohuli in the South Eastern Railway zone.
Stating that port and water transport is as important as road and rail connectivity, the PM said that this sector has, however, been neglected for decades in Bengal.
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“But new avenues are opening up today for waterways, trade and enterprise,” Modi said.
Stating that Kolkata and Haldia docks have for a long time been major centres for trade in eastern India, he said that new projects have been taken up for modernisation and augmentation of these.
PM Modi also inaugurated the mechanisation of Berth 2 at Haldia Dock Complex, which will enable efficient, faster and environment-friendly cargo handling, and the rejuvenation project at Khidderpore Docks (Dock 1 – West).
He laid the foundation stones for multiple port infrastructure projects, including the mechanisation of Berth 5 at Haldia Dock Complex and the renovation of the Bascule Bridge in Kolkata.
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The PM also laid the foundation for a river cruise terminal and river tourism facility near the Indenture Memorial in Kolkata.
“It is our resolve that Bengal, which has always shown the way to India, should once again revive that glory by becoming a ‘Viksit Bengal’,” he added.
