PM flags off Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express, rolls out Rs 1,500 crore worth railway projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the Vande Bharat Express on Sunday that will run between Nagpur in Maharashtra and Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh. This is the sixth Vande Bharat Express launched in the country by PM Modi.

Later during the day at public function in Nagpur, the Prime Minister will launch and inaugurate railway projects worth more than Rs 1,500 crore, the PMO said.

He also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Nagpur Railway Station and Ajni Railway Station, which will entail an investment of Rs 590 crore and Rs 360 crore respectively.

The new features of the Nagpur railway station include the accommodation of over 9,000 passengers during peak hour traffic (PHT), enhanced waiting area and sitting capacity, parking facility for two-wheelers and cars, 30 lifts and 31 escalators, and bigger east side building.

PM Modi will also inaugurate the first phase of the Samruddhi Mahamarg. Phase-I of Samruddhi Mahamarg or Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway project will cover a distance of 520 km and connect Nagpur and Shirdi.

Apart from this he will lay the foundation stone for the National Institute of One Health (NIO), in a step towards building capacity and infrastructure in the country under the ‘One Health’ approach.

‘One Health’ approach recognises that the health of human beings is connected to the health of animals and the environment. This approach appreciates that most of the contagious diseases affecting humans are zoonotic (animal to human) in nature. The institute – to be established at a cost of more than Rs 110 crore – will collaborate and coordinate with all stakeholders and act as a catalyst to improve the research and capacity building in ‘One Health’ approach across the country.

Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the project for pollution abatement of river Nag at Nagpur.

The project – under National River Conservation Plan (NRCP) – will be operationalised at a cost of more than Rs 1925 crore.

“The prevalence of Sickle Cell Disease in the Vidarbha region, especially in the tribal population is comparatively high. The disease along with other haemoglobinopathies like thalassemia and HbE cause a significant disease burden in the country. To address this issue, Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the ‘Centre for Research, Management and Control of Haemoglobinopathies, Chandrapur’, in February 2019. Prime Minister will now dedicate to the nation the Centre, which is envisaged to become a Centre of Excellence for innovative research, technology development, human resource development, in the field of haemoglobinopathies, in the country,” it said.

Prime Minister will dedicate the Central Institute of Petrochemicals Engineering & Technology (CIPET), Chandrapur to the Nation. The institute aims to develop skilled human resources to meet the requirements of the polymer & allied industries.

PM in Goa

Later in the day, the Prime Minister will be travelling to Goa, where he will will address the valedictory function of the World Ayurveda Congress and also inaugurate three national Ayush institutes.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the Mopa airport in Goa. With Modi stressing on building world-class infrastructure and transport facilities across the country, the PMO said the Mopa international airport in the tourist hub of Goa is a step in that direction, and added that the prime minister had launched the project in November 2016.

It cost around Rs 2,870 crores and initially, the phase I of the airport will cater to around 4.4 million passengers per annum (MPPA), which can be expanded to a saturation capacity of 33 MPPA, it added.