Daijiworld Media Network - Chandigarh
Chandigarh, Jul 17: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth more than Rs 4,700 crore in Chandigarh, with a focus on strengthening healthcare, higher education and regional road connectivity.
Among the key projects inaugurated were the Advanced Neurosciences Centre and the Advanced Mother and Child Centre at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), a new multipurpose auditorium at Panjab University's South Campus in Sector 25, and several road infrastructure projects benefiting the Chandigarh tricity region comprising Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw during the event.
The newly inaugurated Advanced Mother and Child Centre at PGIMER has been designed to provide specialised tertiary healthcare services for high-risk pregnancies, critically ill newborns and children requiring advanced medical care. Equipped with 300 beds and modern medical facilities, the centre is expected to significantly enhance maternal and paediatric healthcare across the region.
The Advanced Neurosciences Centre will offer comprehensive services in neurology, neurosurgery, neuro-critical care and advanced diagnostics under one roof. The facility is also expected to strengthen medical education, research and specialised training in neurological sciences.
Prime Minister Modi also laid the foundation stone for a 150-bed Critical Care Block at PGIMER under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM). The new facility is aimed at improving emergency care, intensive care services and disaster response capabilities.
In the education sector, the Prime Minister inaugurated the Kurukshetra Boys Hostel and Mess at Punjab Engineering College and a new hostel block at Government College, Sector 46. He also laid the foundation stone for a Research Scholars' Hostel at Punjab Engineering College to improve residential facilities for students and research scholars.
To boost regional connectivity, PM Modi inaugurated the six-lane Greenfield Highway connecting IT City to Kurali in Mohali district. The highway is expected to reduce travel time between Mohali, Kharar and Kurali while improving road links between Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
He also laid the foundation stone for the PR-7 Spur of the Ambala-Chandigarh Greenfield Highway (NH-205A), a 10.3-km Greenfield corridor that will allow long-distance traffic to bypass the congested urban stretches of Zirakpur and provide direct connectivity to Aerocity on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
Following his Chandigarh visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to travel to Jalandhar, where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for development projects worth Rs 5,470 crore. Earlier in the day, he flagged off the country's first 10-coach hydrogen-powered train, NaMo Green Rail, and launched projects worth Rs 14,700 crore in Haryana's Jind, aimed at enhancing transport, healthcare and cultural infrastructure.