On the second day of his two-day visit to West Bengal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for Central government projects worth over Rs 830 crore for the state from Singur. He also flagged off three Amrit Bharat trains, connecting Kolkata with New Delhi, Varanasi, and Chennai.
Modi also inaugurated the Jayrambati-Barogopinathpur-Maynapur rail line, and flagged off a train between Maynapur and Jayrambati.
On Saturday, he had inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 3,250 crore from Malda, and flagged off the country’s first Vande Bharat sleeper train, which will connect Kolkata with Guwahati.
“During my visit, I have had the opportunity to lay foundation stones and dedicate development projects related to West Bengal worth hundreds of crores of rupees… Perhaps in the last 100 years, so much work has not happened in 24 hours,” Modi said.
“Out of these trains, one will further strengthen the connectivity of my parliamentary constituency Kashi Banaras (Varanasi) with Bengal,” he said.
The PM laid the foundation stone for the Extended Port Gate System, including an Inland Water Transport (IWT) terminal and a road over bridge, at Balagarh in Hooghly district.
West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose, Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal, Sukanta Majumdar, Shantanu Thakur, state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya, and Leader of Opposition in Assembly Suvendu Adhikari, were present at the site.
The prime minister said West Bengal has immense potential for waterways and the Union Government is working on it.
“Help is also being given here (West Bengal) to build necessary infrastructure for port-led development… West Bengal can be made a big hub of manufacturing, trade, and logistics… The more we emphasise on the port and its related ecosystem, the more employment will be created here… To improve the connectivity of this port, roads have also been built under the Sagarmala scheme. We can all see its result today. In the past year, Kolkata Port has created new records in cargo handling,” the prime minister said.
He said the Extended Port Gate System to be built in Balagarh will open doors for new opportunities for Hooghly and the surrounding areas. “This will reduce the pressure of traffic and logistics in Kolkata city… This entire infrastructure will help in making Hooghly a warehousing and trading hub. This will bring new investment,.. thousands of youth will get employment, small traders and people associated with transport will benefit, and farmers and producers will also get new markets,” he added.
Modi, who also launched a state-of-the-art electric catamaran in Kolkata, said that stress is being given in the country on multi-model connectivity and green mobility.
“Ports, waterways, highways and airports are all being interconnected to ensure seamless travel, reducing cost and time. Our endeavour is also to make our transportation modes nature-friendly,” he said.
The PM said both river transport and green mobility will get a boost with hybrid electric boats, making travel through the Hooghly river easier and reducing pollution, also encouraging river-based tourism.
Stating that India is fast advancing in fisheries, seafood production and export of these, Modi said, “My dream is that West Bengal leads the country in this sector.” On the development of inland waterways, the central government is supporting Bengal with priority, he said.
“Our fishermen will also get the benefits along with our farmers,” he said, adding that all these projects will speed up West Bengal’s development.