Assam: PM Modi to unveil development projects worth Rs 47,600 cr ahead of polls

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will begin a two-day visit to Assam on Friday afternoon, during which he will unveil development projects worth Rs 47,600 crore ahead of the assembly polls.

Modi is scheduled to arrive in Kokrajhar in the afternoon, where he will unveil projects worth over Rs 4,570 crore. He will later travel to Guwahati to launch development initiatives worth Rs 19,680 crore.

The visit will be Modi’s fourth to the state in as many months.

“I will be in Assam and West Bengal over the next two days to attend programmes in Kokrajhar, Guwahati, Silchar and Kolkata. These programmes will present a wonderful opportunity to interact with the people of these states. Various development works will also be inaugurated,” Modi said in a social media post.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said preparations for the visit have been completed.

“People of Assam are eagerly awaiting Adarniya @narendramodi Ji’s visit later today. We have just wrapped up last-minute preparations. Projects worth over Rs 47,600 crore will be dedicated to our people over the next 48 hours,” he said in a social media post.

In Kokrajhar, Modi will perform the ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ for Assam Mala 3.0, a road infrastructure initiative under which more than 900 km of roads will be constructed to improve inter-state connectivity and strengthen links between national highways and rural roads.

He will also perform ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ for four flyovers and two bridges in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) area, which will be developed at an investment of around Rs 1,100 crore.

Officials said these projects are expected to ease traffic congestion in Kokrajhar district and improve connectivity, tourism, agricultural access, healthcare access and rural mobility.

The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone of a Periodic Overhauling (POH) Workshop at Bashbari in the district to strengthen railway maintenance and improve operational efficiency.

He will flag off three new trains — the Kamakhya-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express, the Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Express and the Narangi-Agartala Express.

In Guwahati, Modi will distribute land pattas to tea garden workers, marking a step in providing homestead land rights to the tea garden community.

He will also release the 22nd instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme to over 9.3 crore farmers across the country.

The prime minister will unveil the Rs 2,300-crore Kopili Hydro-Electric Project, located in Dima Hasao and West Karbi Anglong districts.

He will also inaugurate the capacity enhancement project of the Numaligarh-Siliguri Product Pipeline (NSPL) of Oil India Limited, which will support the expansion of the Numaligarh Refinery from 3 MMTPA to 9 MMTPA by enabling the evacuation of additional petroleum products.

Among other projects, Modi will inaugurate Phase I of the North East Gas Grid, a pipeline project connecting Guwahati with Numaligarh, Gohpur and Itanagar, with a branch line extending to Dimapur.

He will also lay the foundation stone for Numaligarh Refinery Limited’s rail-fed POL terminal at Panchgram in Hailakandi district.

The prime minister will dedicate several railway electrification projects to the nation, including the Rangiya-Murkongselek rail line (558 km), the Chaparmukh-Dibrugarh rail line (571 km), and the Badarpur-Silchar and Badarpur-Churaibari rail lines.

He will also lay the foundation stone for the Furkating-Tinsukia rail line doubling project (194 km), estimated to cost over Rs 3,600 crore.

In the waterways sector, Modi will lay the foundation stone for cruise terminals at Bishwanath Ghat in Biswanath district and Neamati in Jorhat district.

He will also perform ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ for the Regional Centre of Excellence at Bogibeel in Dibrugarh, which is planned as a maritime training and research hub for the Northeast, and inaugurate the approach road connecting Pandu Jetty to NH-27.

The prime minister will lay the foundation stone for a ropeway project connecting Kamakhya railway station to the Kamakhya Temple, with the capacity to carry around 17,000 passengers daily.

He will also inaugurate the PM Ekta Mall in Guwahati, planned as a commercial and tourism hub for Assam and the Northeast, featuring permanent stalls for One District One Product (ODOP) items, GI-tagged products, handicrafts and handloom goods from Assam and other states.

Modi will stay overnight at the state guest house in Guwahati and leave for Silchar on Saturday, where he is scheduled to launch development projects worth about Rs 23,550 crore.

Assembly elections in Assam are expected to be held in April, with the ruling BJP seeking a third consecutive term in power.