Visakhapatnam (The Hawk): On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi officially opened or laid the cornerstone for seven development projects totaling Rs 10,742 crore.
He officially inaugurated two projects and set the cornerstone for five others during a meeting open to the public at the Andhra University Engineering College in Visakhapatnam.
In attendance were the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, the union minister for railroads, Ashwini Vaishnaw, and others.
The U-field onshore deep water block project, developed by the Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) at a cost of Rs 2,917 crore, was dedicated to the nation by the prime minister. The project's deepest gas discovery, with a daily gas production potential of around 3 million metric standard cubic metres, has been made, according to officials (MMSCMD).
He also lay the cornerstone for GAIL's Srikakulam Angul Natural Gas Pipeline Project, which has a 6.65 MMSCMD capacity. Over Rs. 2,658 crore will be spent on this 745 km long pipeline's construction.
The pipeline, which would be a part of Natural Gas Grid (NGG), will build the necessary infrastructure for supplying natural gas to private homes, businesses, and other organisations in various regions of Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. In Andhra Pradesh's Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts, the City Gas Distribution Network will receive natural gas from the pipeline.
Modi laid the cornerstone for the six-lane Greenfield Raipur-Visakhapatnam Economic Corridor's Andhra Pradesh segment. It will be constructed for a price of over Rs 3,778 crore.
The economic corridor is anticipated to improve communication between Chhattisgarh and Odisha's industrial hubs and the Chennai-Kolkata National Highway and Visakhapatnam Port. Additionally, it would enhance connectivity to Andhra Pradesh's and Odisha's tribal and underdeveloped regions.
He also laid the cornerstone for the approximately Rs 460 crore renovation of Visakhapatnam Railway Station. The 75,000 daily passengers that the rebuilt station would serve will enjoy better service thanks to the addition of contemporary amenities.
Additionally, the foundation for the modernization and improvement of Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour was built. The project will cost about Rs 152 crore in total. After being upgraded and modernised, the fishing harbour will provide safe landing and berthing as well as other modern infrastructure facilities, shorten turnaround times at the jetty, cut down on waste, and help improve price realisation. The handling capacity will increase from 150 tonnes per day to approximately 300 tonnes per day.
A dedicated port road from Visakhapatnam's Convent Junction to Sheela Nagar Junction also had its cornerstone laid. By separating local and port-bound goods traffic, it will reduce traffic congestion in Visakhapatnam City.
The Narasannapeta to Pathapatnam stretch of NH-326, built at a cost of more than Rs 200 crore as a component of the Srikakulam-Gajapati Corridor, was also dedicated to the country by the prime minister. Greater connectivity would be offered by the project in the area.
(Inputs from Agencies)