Daijiworld Media Network - Chennai
Chennai, Oct 11: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Poonamallee-Vadapalani stretch of Phase II of the Chennai Metro Rail project, built at a cost of around Rs 4,900 crore, in the presence of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay.
Following the inauguration, Modi took a ride on the Chennai Metro from Porur Bypass station to Poonamallee Bypass station and back.
The Prime Minister is also scheduled to launch and lay the foundation stones for several development projects across Tamil Nadu, covering highways, railways, ports, petroleum and education.
Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for national highway projects worth around Rs 3,700 crore. These include the 36-km, four-laned Vadugapatti-Therkuvenganallur section of NH-744 and the 30-km, four-laned Madurai Ring Road section of NH-744A. The projects are expected to improve connectivity to pilgrimage, industrial and commercial centres, ease traffic congestion and reduce travel time.
He will also lay the foundation stone for the four-lane Thiruvarur Bypass on the Nagapattinam-Thanjavur section of NH-83 to provide an alternative route around the town and improve traffic movement.
In the railway sector, projects worth more than Rs 750 crore will be dedicated to the nation. These include the Karaikal-Peralam railway line and three rail flyovers in Coimbatore and surrounding areas. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate five redeveloped Amrit stations at Palani, Vellore Cantonment, Ambasamudram, Paramakkudi and Namakkal under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme.
Several port infrastructure projects will also be inaugurated or taken up. At Chennai Port, the projects include a paved storage yard, four export-import godowns, an upgraded cruise terminal and a Seafarers Club. The facilities are expected to improve cargo handling and storage, expand warehouse capacity, modernise cruise passenger facilities and strengthen welfare services for seafarers.
At VO Chidambaranar Port, Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for eight major development projects aimed at expanding cargo and container capacity, supporting cleaner maritime energy and improving logistics efficiency. He will also inaugurate the Coal Berth-3 project and lay the foundation stone for capital dredging works for Container Terminal Phase I, Stage II, at Kamarajar Port.
In the petroleum sector, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the Group II/III Lube Oil Base Stocks project at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited’s existing Manali refinery. The project, estimated to cost around Rs 1,620 crore, will have a capacity of 270,000 metric tonnes per annum and produce base stocks for premium-quality lubricants in India.
Modi will also dedicate the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras to the nation and launch a scientific mission to map more than 100 human brains into three-dimensional atlases at cellular resolution, covering stages from foetal development to old age.
He will release C-STROKE, a human ischaemic stroke atlas featuring more than 1,000 annotated microscopic sections from a stroke-affected brain. The atlas is expected to help researchers identify potential new therapeutic targets.
The Prime Minister will conclude his scheduled engagements by participating in the golden jubilee celebrations of Jaigopal Garodia Hindu Vidyalaya Matriculation Higher Secondary School in Chennai. The institution marks 50 years of contribution to education, focusing on academic excellence, discipline, cultural values and holistic development.
The projects form part of a wider push to strengthen Tamil Nadu’s transport networks, maritime infrastructure, industrial capacity and scientific research.