More than 100 waterways are being developed in India, says Modi
The Prime Minister Narendra Modi has virtually flagged off the 7th Vande Bharat Express, connecting Howrah to New Jalpaiguri at the Howrah Railway Station on 30 Dec 2022.
The ultra-modern Semi High-Speed Train is equipped with state-of-the-art passenger amenities. The train will stop at Malda Town, Barsoi and Kishanganj stations en route in both directions.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated the Joka-Taratala Stretch of the Joka-Esplanade Metro Project (Purple Line). The 6.5 km stretch having 6 stations namely Joka, Thakurpukur, Sakher Bazar, Behala Chowrasta, Behala Bazar and Taratala has been constructed at a cost of more than Rs.2,475 crore.
Passengers of southern parts of Kolkata City like Sarsuna, Dakghar, Muchipara and South 24 Parganas will be immensely benefited from the inauguration of this project.
The Prime Minister also dedicated four railway projects to the nation. These include the Rs.405 crore Boinchi – Shaktigarh 3rd Line; the Rs.565 crore Dankuni – Chandanpur 4th Line Project; Rs.245 crore Nimtita – New Farakka Double Line; and the Rs.1,080 crore Ambari Falakata – New Maynaguri – Gumanihat Doubling Project.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the Rs.335 crore redevelopment of the New Jalpaiguri Railway Station.
The Prime Minister said that the Metro Rail system is an example of India’s speed and scale today.
“Work is going on metro routes of more than 1,000 km,” he informed. “Today, Metro is running on an approximately 800 km long Metro track in different cities of the country.”
The Government is spending approximately Rs.5,000 crores for the multiple projects whose foundation stones were laid by the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister also informed that more than 25 sewage projects have been approved in West Bengal under the Namami Gange Scheme, 18 of which have been completed.
Work on 5 new schemes with an outlay of Rs.1,500 crore has started on 30 Dec 2022, he said, highlighting Rs.600 crore Adi Ganga project for cleaning.
The Prime Minister said that along with cleaning rivers, the central Government has focussed on prevention which revolves around creating a large number of modern sewage treatment plants. This is being done keeping in mind the requirements of the next 10-15 years.
He informed that more than 100 waterways are being developed today and work is taking place to introduce advanced cruise ships in the rivers while boosting business and tourism.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the Ganga-Brahmaputra project that is being carried out between India and Bangladesh to establish waterway links between the two rivers.
Referring to the cruise that is going to set sail on 13 January 2023 from Kashi to Dibrugarh via Bangladesh, the Prime Minister pointed out that the 3,200 km journey is the first-of-its-kind in the entire world and it will be a reflection of the growing cruise tourism in the country. fiinews.com
