PM to visit Punjab on Jan 5 to lay foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 42,750 cr

New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Punjab on January 5 and lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 42,750 crore.

In a statement on Monday, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said: "Prime Minister Modi will visit Ferozepur, Punjab on January 5 and will lay the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 42,750 crore."

The projects include Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway, four-laning of Amritsar-Una section, Mukerian-Talwara New Broad Gauge railway line, PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur and two new medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur.

"The consistent endeavour of the Prime Minister to improve connectivity all across the country has led to multiple national highway development initiatives being taken up in the state of Punjab. It has resulted in more than doubling the total length of National highways in the state from about 1,700 kilometres in 2014 to more than 4,100 kilometres in 2021," it said.

The PMO further stated that in continuation of such efforts, the foundation stone of two major road corridors will be laid in Punjab and this will also be a step towards fulfilling the Prime Minister's vision to enhance accessibility to major religious centres.

The 669 kilometre long Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Expressway will be developed at a total cost of about Rs 39,500 crore. It will halve travel time from Delhi to Amritsar and Delhi to Katra. The Greenfield Expressway will connect key Sikh religious sites at Sultanpur Lodhi, Goindwal Sahib, Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran and the holy Hindu shrine of Vaishno Devi in Katra. The four-laning of Amritsar - Una section will be done at the cost of around Rs 1,700 crore. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of a new Broad Gauge railway line between Mukerian and Talwara of around 27 Km in length, to be built at a cost of over Rs 410 crore.

It will provide an all-weathered means of transportation in the area and this project also holds strategic importance as it will serve as an alternative route to Jammu and Kashmir, joining the existing Jalandhar-Jammu Railway line at Mukerian.

Foundation stone of new medical infrastructure in three towns of Punjab will be laid. The 100-bedded PGI Satellite Centre at Ferozepur, will be built at a cost of more than Rs 490 crore. It will provide services in 10 specialities-- Internal Medicine, General Surgery, Orthopedics, Plastic Surgery, Neurosurgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Ophthalmology, ENT and Psychiatry-Drug De-addiction.

It will provide world class medical facilities at Ferozepur and the nearby areas. Two Medical colleges at Kapurthala and Hoshiarpur will be developed at a cost of around Rs 325 crore each and with a capacity of about 100 seats.