Narendra Modi to launch developmental projects in Odisha, inaugurate Kollam bypass in Kerala today

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Odisha and Kerala Tuesday to launch a series of projects, including a railway line and a highway bypass.

In Odisha, he will dedicate to the nation a Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) in Jharsuguda and other developmental projects, and inaugurate a new railway line between Balangir and Bichupali.

The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for a permanent building at Kendriya Vidyalaya, Sonepur, a statement from his office said.

The MMLP has been constructed at a cost of Rs 100 crore and will facilitate export-import and domestic cargo including, private freight traffic.

It is located adjacent to the Howrah-Mumbai line which is 5 kilometres from Jharsuguda railway station. Many important industries including steel, cement, paper are located around the facility and will benefit from it.

The 15-kilometre Balangir-Bichupali new railway line would connect coastal Odisha with the western parts of the state synchronising development across the state, the statement said.

It will reduce travel time from Bhubaneswar and Puri to major cities like New Delhi and Mumbai. The line would also benefit many small, medium and cottage industries in Odisha and open up opportunities for the mining sector in the state.

The prime minister is also likely to dedicate to the nation electrification of 813-kilometre of Jharsuguda-Vizianagaram and Sambalpur-Angul lines done at a cost of Rs 1,085 crore. It will ensure seamless rail connectivity on the line.

He is likely to dedicate doubling of 13.5-kilometre Barpali-Dungaripali and Balangir-Deogaon road line. The doubling of the line will boost industrial capacity in Odisha.

Modi will also inaugurate the renovation and restoration works at Nilamadhav and Siddheshwar temple in Gandhaharadi (Boudh). These are some of the earliest instances of Odishan temple architecture celebrating western Odisha’s ‘Hara-Hari” cultural fabric.

In Kerala, the prime minister will inaugurate the Kollam bypass on National Highway 66. It is a 13 kilometres-long two-lane bypass and includes three major bridges over the Ashtamudi lake.

The project will cut travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, and will also decongest traffic in Kollam town.

In Thiruvananthapuram, Modi will visit the Padmanabhaswamy temple and is likely to unveil a plaque to mark the launch of visitor facilities there.

This will be the third official visit of the prime minister to Kollam. His first visit to the city was in December 2015, when he unveiled the statue of R Sankar. The prime minister also visited Kollam in April 2016, hours after a fire tragedy.