PM lays foundation stone and dedicates to nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 19,600 crores in Chandikhole, Odisha

Chandikhole: 5/3/24The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone and dedicated to the nation multiple development projects worth over Rs 19,600 crores in Chandikhole, Odisha today. The projects relate to sectors including oil & gas, railways, road, transport & highways, and atomic energy.

Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that by the blessings of Lord Jagannath and Maa Birja, a new stream of development started flowing today in Jajpur and Odisha. Noting the Jayanti of Shri 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 Ganaga Yojana 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 km 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 0.6 MMTPA LPG Import facility at Paradip which will bring a revolutionary change in the polyester industry of eastern India. This will also provide raw materials to the textile parks in Bhadrak and Paradip.

Underlining that today’s occasion is a symbol of the changing work culture in the country, the Prime Minister drew comparisons of the previous government which never took interest in completing the development projects with 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 liters of saline water every day and make it suitable for drinking.

The Prime Minister said that the Central government is focussing 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, 3000 km long national highways, the railway budget has been 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 Kalinga Nagar Industrial area.

The Prime Minister concluded the address by paying tributes to Biju Patnaik ji on his birth anniversary and congratulated the citizens for the development projects of today.

Governor of Odisha, Shri Raghubar Das, Chief Minister of Odisha, Shri Naveen Patnaik, and Union Minister, Shri Dharmendra Pradhan were present on the occasion among others.

Background

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 km long product pipeline traversing from Paradip in Odisha to Haldia in West Bengal. To augment the import infrastructure on the Eastern Coast of India, the Prime Minister inaugurated 0.6 MMTPA LPG Import facility at Paradip.

To boost road infrastructure in the region, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation four laning of Singhara to Binjabahal Section of NH-49; four laning of Binjabahal to Tileibani Section of NH-49; four laning of Balasore-Jharpokharia Section of NH-18 and four laning of Tangi-Bhubaneswar Section of NH-16. He will also lay the foundation stone for eight laning 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 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 Wagon Periodical Overhauling Workshop at Kantabanji, and the upgrade 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 a part of field applications of indigenous desalination technologies developed by Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.