Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 19,600 crore in Chandikhole, Odisha, today.
The projects relate to sectors including oil and gas, railways, roads, transport and highways and atomic energy.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that, with the blessings of Lord Jagannath and Maa Birja, a new stream of development started flowing today in Jajpur and Odisha.
Noting the Jayanti of Biju Patnaik, the Prime Minister remembered his incomparable contribution to the nation and Odisha.
Highlighting the inauguration and foundation stone laying of mega development projects worth about Rs 20,000 crores in the sectors of petroleum, natural gas, atomic energy, roadways, railways and connectivity today, the Prime Minister said that it will boost industrial activities in the region and create new employment opportunities. He congratulated the people of Odisha for the development projects of today.
The Prime Minister put forward the government’s approach of taking care of the present needs of the nation while working for the resolution of Viksit Bharat. He mentioned the efforts to enhance the capabilities of the Eastern states in the energy sector. Under the Urja Ganga Yojana, in the five big states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, major projects are underway for the supply of natural gas.
PM Modi inaugurated a 344-kilometre-long product pipeline from Paradip in Odisha to Haldia in West Bengal. He also inaugurated the Indian Oil Corporation Limited Mono Ethylene Glycol Project in Paradip Refinery and the 0.6 MMTPA LPG Import Facility at Paradip, which will bring a revolutionary change to the polyester industry of eastern India. This will also provide raw materials for the textile parks in Bhadrak and Paradip.
Underscoring that today’s occasion is a symbol of the changing work culture in the country, the Prime Minister drew comparisons between the previous government, which never took an interest in completing the development projects, and the present government, which inaugurates the very projects on time whose foundation stones were laid. Referring to the development projects that were completed after 2014, the Prime Minister mentioned the Paradip Refinery, which became a topic of discussion in 2002 but no work was accomplished until the present government came to power in 2014. He also mentioned inaugurating the Paradip – Hyderabad Pipeline in Sangareddy, Telangana, yesterday and the 500-km-long crude oil pipeline from Haldia to Barauni in Arambagh, West Bengal, three days ago.
Prime Minister Modi highlighted the central government making use of the abundance of natural resources in Eastern India for the development of Odisha and spoke about the desalination plant in Ganjam district that will treat almost 50 lakh litres of saline water every day and make it suitable for drinking.
The Prime Minister said that the central government is focusing on modern connectivity in Odisha so that local resources increase the economy of the state. The Prime Minister said that in the last 10 years, with 3000 km of national highways, the railway budget has increased 12-fold.
He stated that to improve rail-highway-Port connectivity, national highways are being expanded in Jajpur, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Mayurbhanj, Khorda, Ganjam, Puri and Kendujhar. He said the new Angul Sukinda railway line will open up the development of the Kalinga Nagar industrial area.
The Prime Minister concluded the address by paying tribute to Biju Patnaik on his birth anniversary and congratulating the citizens for the development projects of today.
Governor of Odisha, Raghubar Das; Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik; and Union Minister, Dharmendra Pradhan, were present on the occasion, among others.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the Indian Oil Corporation Limited Mono Ethylene Glycol Project in Paradip Refinery, which will further help in reducing India’s import dependency. He also inaugurated a 344-kilometre-long product pipeline traversing from Paradip in Odisha to Haldia in West Bengal.
To augment the import infrastructure on the Eastern Coast of India, PM Modi inaugurated the 0.6 MMTPA LPG import facility at Paradip.
In order to boost road infrastructure in the region, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation four lanings of the Singhara to Binjabahal Section of NH-49; four lanings of Binjabahal to Tileibani Section of NH-49; four landings of Balasore-Jharpokharia Section of NH-18; and four lanings of Tangi-Bhubaneswar Section of NH-16. He will also lay the foundation stone for the eight lanings of Chandikhole – Paradip Section at Chandikhole.
The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation, 162 km Bansapani – Daitari – Tomka – Jakhapura Rail Line. It will not only enhance the existing traffic facility’s capacity but also facilitate efficient transportation of iron and manganese ore from Keonjhar District to the nearest ports and steel plants, significantly contributing to regional economic growth. The inauguration of the CONCOR Container Depot in Kalinga Nagar was also done to boost domestic and international trade.
The foundation stone was laid for the Electric Loco Periodical Overhauling Workshop at Narla, the Waggon Periodical Overhauling Workshop at Kantabanji and the upgradation and augmentation of maintenance facilities at Baghuapal. Other railway projects include the flagging off of new train services.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated a 5 MLD capacity seawater desalination plant at Odisha Sands Complex of IREL (I) Ltd. This project has been built as part of the field applications of indigenous desalination technologies developed by the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.-ANI