Prime Minister Narendra Modi with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee today.
Hoogly: With General Elections knocking on the doors, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on an inauguration spree in rival Trinamool Congress’s Mamata Banerjee-ruled West Bengal today. He underlined that development projects worth more than Rs 7,000 crores were inaugurated and foundation stones were laid towards the development of West Bengal which included sectors of rail, ports, petroleum and Jal Shakti. Mamata met the Prime Minister at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata today evening and said her meeting was marked by courtesy and protocol.
The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to West Bengal where today he also addressed a public meeting and raised the issue of Sandeshkhali, a village in the North 24 Parganas district where TMC legislator Sheikh Shahjahan, accused of sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing was finally arrested last night by a special Bengal police team after being on the run for 55 days. His arrest came three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice passed an order to this effect, saying “There is no reason to not arrest him”. He has now been sent to 10-day police custody but the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party claimed that the arrest was scripted and meant to provide safe custody to the TMC legislator. Modi asked the women to take their revenge by voting against the TMC in the coming general elections.
Modi inaugurated Indian Oil’s 518-km Haldia-Barauni Crude Oil Pipeline developed at about Rs 2,790 crore. This pipeline passes through Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. The pipeline will supply crude oil to Barauni Refinery, Bongaigaon Refinery and Guwahati Refinery in a safe, cost-efficient, and environment-friendly manner. He said, “India showed the world how development can be done in harmony with the environment” giving an example of the Haldia-Barauni crude pipeline. Crude oil is transported through four states – Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal through the pipeline to three refineries, resulting in savings and environmental protection. He said the LPG Bottling plant will benefit 7 states and will address the demand for LPG in the area. Sewage treatment plants will also benefit lakhs of people in many districts.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated Indian Oil’s LPG Bottling plant with a capacity of 120 TMTPA at Vidyasagar Industrial Park, Kharagpur. Developed at a cost of more than Rs 200 crore, the LPG bottling plant will be the first LPG bottling plant in the region. It will supply LPG to about 14.5 lakh customers in West Bengal.
Modi dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects for strengthening infrastructure at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata worth about Rs 1000 crore. The projects whose foundation stone will be laid include the reconstruction of Berth No. 8 NSD and the mechanization of Berth No. 7 & 8 NSD of Kolkata Dock System.
Crude oil is transported through four states – Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal through the pipeline to three refineries, resulting in savings and environmental protection. He said the LPG Bottling plant will benefit 7 states and will address the demand for LPG in the area. Sewage treatment plants will also benefit lakhs of people in many districts.
The Prime Minister also dedicated to the nation the project for augmentation of the firefighting system at oil jetties of Haldia Dock Complex, Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port. The newly installed fire-fighting facility is a state-of-the-art fully automated set-up equipped with cutting-edge gas and flame sensors, ensuring immediate hazard detection.
The Prime Minister dedicated the third Rail Mounted Quay Crane (RMQC) of the Haldia Dock Complex with a lifting capacity of 40 tonnes. These new projects at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port, Kolkata will boost the productivity of the port substantially by helping in faster and safer cargo handling and evacuation. He also dedicated to the nation, rail projects worth about Rs 2680 crores. The projects include the third rail line connecting Jhargram – Salgajhari (90 Kms); the doubling of the Sondalia – Champapukur rail line (24 Kms); and the doubling of the Dankuni – Bhattanagar – Baltikuri rail line (9 Kms). These projects will expand the rail transport facilities in the region, improve mobility and facilitate seamless service of freight traffic.
Modi said, “India showed the world how development can be done in harmony with the environment” giving an example of the Haldia-Barauni crude pipeline.
“Central Government strives to modernize railways in West Bengal at the same pace as the rest of the country”, he said, mentioning the third rail line connecting Jhargram – Salgajhari to improve rail connectivity while encouraging tourism and industry in the region. He also spoke about the doubling of the Sondalia – Champapukur and Dankuni – Bhattanagar – Baltikuri rail lines. The Prime Minister also spoke about the development projects to strengthen infrastructure at Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port in Kolkata and three other projects worth more than Rs 1,000 crores.
The Prime Minister inaugurated three wastewater treatment and sewerage projects in West Bengal. The World Bank has funded these projects, developed at a cost of about Rs 600 crore. The projects include Interception and Diversion (I&D) works and Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Howrah with a capacity of 65 MLD and a sewage network of 3.3 km; I&D works and STPs at Bally with capacity of 62 MLD and a sewage network of 11.3 km, and I&D works and STPs at Kamarhati and Baranagar with a capacity of 60 MLD and a sewage network of 8.15 Km.
– global bihari bureau
