Acknowledging that it was his first public speech in 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 2, extended his New Year greetings to the people of Tamil Nadu. Addressing a public meeting at Trichy on January 2, PM Modi said, “I wish that the year 2024 turns out to be peaceful and prosperous for everyone. I feel privileged to be addressing my first public event in 2024 here in Tamil Nadu.
The development projects being launched today (worth nearly Rs 20,000 crore) will bring more speed to Tamil Nadu’s march to development and progress. I would like to congratulate all of you on the launch of these projects.”
Earlier, on January 2, PM Modi embarked on a two-day visit to Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Kerala. After presiding over the convocation event at the Bharathidasan University, PM Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for a bouquet of development projects worth over Rs 20,000 crore in Tiruchirappalli.
PM Modi later proceeded to inaugurate the new terminal building at the Trichy airport. The new terminal building has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 1100 crore. The two-level new international terminal has the capacity to serve more than 44 lakh passengers annually and about 3,500 during peak hours, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) informed earlier through an official release.
Tiruchirappalli International Airport is the second-largest airport in terms of international passenger traffic after Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Prime Minister Modi also dedicated to the nation multiple railway projects worth crores. These include the doubling of the 41.4 km Salem-Magnesite Junction-Omalur-Mettur Dam section; the doubling of the rail line section of 160 km from Madurai-Tuticorin; and three projects for rail line electrification: Tiruchchirappalli-Manamadurai-Virudhunagar; Virudhunagar-Tenkasi Junction; Sengottai-Tenkasi Junction; Tirunelveli- Tirunelveli- Tiruchendur. The rail projects are tipped to help improve the rail capacity to carry freight and passengers and contribute to economic development and employment generation in Tamil Nadu.
He also dedicates to the nation five road projects, including a 39-km four-lane road for the Trichy-Kallagam section of NH-81; a 60 km long 4/2-lane road for the Kallagam-Meensurutti section of NH-81; a 29 km four-lane road of Chettikulam – Natham section of NH-785; an 80 km long two-lane road with a paved shoulder of Karaikudi-Ramanathapuram section of NH-536; and a 44 km long four-lane section of NH-179A Salem-Tirupathur-Vaniyambadi Road.
He also inaugurated the 500-bed Boys’ Hostel ‘AMETHYST’ of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) in Tiruchirappalli. Apart from Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister Modi will also visit Lakshadweep and Kerala over two days, on January 2 and 3.
(with inputs from ANI)
