Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the nation four infrastructure projects worth four thousand and seven hundred crore rupees at Haldia in West Bengal yesterday. The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of the second Catalytic-Isodewaxing Unit at the Haldia refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Limited. He also inaugurated three projects including Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited, BPCL’s LPG Import Terminal, GAIL’s Dobhi-Durgapur Natural Gas Pipeline and NHAI’s four lane road overbridge cum flyover at Ranichak.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that gas-based economy is the need of the hour for the country. He said, one nation-one gas grid is an important step for meeting this need. The Prime Minister said, to achieve this, focus is on reducing the cost of natural gas and expanding the gas-pipeline network. Mr Modi said, India is among the highest gas consuming nations. He said, the Hydrogen Mission was announced in the budget to promote cheap and clean energy.

 
 
The Prime Minister said, it is a big day for West Bengal and entire Eastern India in terms of AatmNirbharta of connectivity and availability of clean fuel. He said, the four projects will improve both ease of living and ease of doing business in the region. These projects will also help Haldia to grow into a major hub of export-import.
 

The Prime Minister listed the works underway in rail, road, airport, ports and waterways to improve the quality of life and business in Eastern part of the country. He pointed out that scarcity of gas was leading to closure of industry in the region. In order to remedy the situation, a decision was taken to connect eastern India with the eastern and western ports. Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga Pipeline is a part of that project.
 
The Prime Minister said, 347 km Dobhi-Durgapur Natural Gas Pipeline section which is a part of the Pradhan Mantri Urja Ganga project, will directly benefit not only West Bengal but also 10 districts of Bihar and Jharkhand. The Construction work provided 11 lakh man days employment to locals. This will also provide clean piped LPG to the kitchens and enable clean CNG vehicles. Sindri and Durgapur Fertilizer factories will get continuous gas supply. The Prime Minister asked GAIL and the West Bengal government to quickly finish the Durgapur-Haldia section of Jagdishpur-Haldia and Bokaro-Dhamra Pipeline.
The Prime Minister asserted that the Central government is working tirelessly to develop West Bengal as a major trading and industrial centre. For this, port-led development is a good model.  
 
The Prime Minister said, many steps have been taken to modernize Kolkata’s Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port Trust. Mr Modi also called for strengthening the Haldia Dock Complex’s capacity and connectivity with the neighboring countries. He said, the new flyover and proposed Multi-Modal Terminal of Inland Waterways authority will improve the connectivity. The Prime Minister said, this will lead to emergence of Haldia as a center of immense energy for Aatma Nirbhar India.
 
The event was attended by West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan among others
 
Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister attended a public meeting in Haldia. Speaking on the occasion, Mr Modi said, the people of West Bengal will witness the real meaning of change when BJP comes to power in the state. He said, West Bengal needs to move forward on the path of development. Citing the example of Tripura, Mr Modi alleged that in West Bengal, no development has taken place as the TMC led government in the state is using all its energy to oppose the Central schemes. He alleged that TMC, Left parties and Congress have joined hands in the state.
 
Mr Modi assured the people that if BJP comes to power in the state, the party will take decision to implement central projects for farmers in its first cabinet meeting.
 
Senior BJP leaders including Dilip Ghosh, Kailash Vijayvargiya, Mukul Roy, Shubhendu Adhikari and Rajib Banerjee were also present at the meeting.