Among the big-ticket projects was the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, which would help reduce the travel time and the 120 mw Vyasi hydro-electricity plant
Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates and lays the foundation stone of multiple projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore in Dehradun. ANI
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a slew of projects worth around Rs 18,000 crores, including the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, in Uttarakhand.
He was welcomed at the inaugural event by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Uttarakhand is not only the faith of the whole country, but also the land of karma and hardness. Therefore the development of this sector, giving this sector a grand appearance, is the top priority of the government of double engine.”
Amid loud claps from the crowds, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the years of hard work had finally brought this day and that these projects would play an important role in making this decade the decade of Uttarakhand.
At a time when Assembly elections of the state are around the corner, the prime minister used the opportunity to attack the previous dispensation of the state. He said, “After 10 years there was such a government in the country, which wasted valuable time of the country, Uttarakhand. For 10 years there were scams, scams in the name of infrastructure in the country. To make up for the loss caused to the country by this, we worked twice as hard and are doing it even today.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the fact that under the United Progressive Alliance government, the country built 288 km of national highways in Uttarakhand, whereas his government had constructed more than 2,000 kilometres in the state in its seven years. He said that the previous government spend around Rs 600 crore in seven years on national highways in Uttarakhand, whereas his government has spent more than Rs 12,000 crore on the same in seven years.
Modi addressing the crowds said that his government has done everything in their power to strengthen the country — from providing One Rank, One Pension, to giving the Armed Forces modern weapons.
The prime minister also stated that Uttarakhand is one of the leading states in the country in terms of COVID-19 vaccination.
He said that the ‘double engine’ government was working overtime to improve the health infrastructure of the state. For this, three new medical colleges have been approved in Uttarakhand.
He also expressed his happiness at the fact that he was laying the foundation stone of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, which would help reduce the travel time by half between the two places.
He said that unlike other parties, the BJP focused on ‘Sabka saath, sabka vishwas’ and worked towards this motto. “We said that whatever schemes we bring, we will bring it for everyone, without discrimination. We did not make vote bank politics the basis but gave priority to the service of the people.”
Modi also spoke of how homestays in Uttarakhand were being run with great success. “Uttarakhand can show direction to the whole country in building home-stays, expanding facilities. Such changes will make Uttarakhand self-reliant.”
Praising the people of Uttarakhand, Modi said, “The coming five years are going to take Uttarakhand towards silver jubilee. There is no goal that Uttarakhand cannot achieve. There is no such resolution which cannot be fulfilled in this Devbhoomi.”
At the event, Modi laid the foundation stones of 11 projects worth Rs 15,728 crore and inaugurated seven projects worth Rs 2,573 crore after inspecting their models on display at the rally venue.
The Delhi-Dehradun Expressway or economic corridor which will reduce the distance between the two cities from 248 km at present to 180 km, and infrastructure development projects for Badrinath which are part of the masterplan for the redevelopment of the Himalayan temple, were among the major projects whose foundation stones were laid by the prime minister.
The 120 mw Vyasi hydro-electricity project, a 38-km long stretch between Devprayag and Shrikot on NH-58, and a widened 33 km stretch between Brahmapuri and Kaudiyala on Rishikesh-Badrinath national highway, which are both part of the all-weather road project, were among the other crucial projects inaugurated by Modi.
Other projects included were the Dehradun-Paonta Sahib (Himachal Pradesh) road project, to be constructed at a cost of around Rs 1,700 crore. This new infrastructure will reduce travel time and provide seamless connectivity between the two places. It will also boost inter-state tourism.
The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for the child-friendly city project, Dehradun, to make the city child-friendly by making the roads safer for their travel.
Modi’s visit to Dehradun today is his third visit to the poll-bound Uttarakhand in three months. Earlier, Prime Minister Modi came to Rishikesh on 4 October to inaugurate an oxygen plant at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and visited Kedarnath on 5 November to unveil the statue of Adi Guru Shankaracharya.
Assembly polls in Uttarakhand are due early next year.
With inputs from agencies
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