New Delhi, Dec 19 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to West Bengal and Assam beginning Saturday, during which he will inaugurate and also lay the foundation stones of several development projects.
On Saturday morning, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate national highway projects worth Rs 3,200 crore at Ranaghat in West Bengal's Nadia district, and also address the gathering on the occasion.
Modi will inaugurate a 66.7-km four-laning of the Barajaguli-Krishnanagar section of NH-34 in Nadia district. He will also lay the foundation stone for the four-laning of the 17.6-km Barasat-Barajaguli section of the highway from the North 24 Parganas district.
These projects, once complete, will enhance connectivity between Kolkata and Siliguri.
On Saturday afternoon, the prime minister will walk through and inaugurate the New Terminal Building of Lokpriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Assam's Guwahati and address the gathering.
The next day, PM Modi will pay tribute to martyrs at Swahid Smarak Kshetra in Boragaon, Guwahati. Later, he will travel to Namrup in Dibrugarh, Assam, to perform Bhoomi Pujan for the ammonia-urea project of Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd and address the gathering.
The new terminal building of Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati marks a transformative milestone in Assam’s connectivity, economic expansion and global engagement, an official statement said.
The newly completed Integrated New Terminal Building, spread over nearly 1.4 lakh square metres, is designed to handle up to 1.3 crore passengers annually, supported by major upgrades to the runway, airfield systems, aprons and taxiways, it said.
India's first nature-themed airport terminal, the airport's design draws inspiration from Assam’s biodiversity and cultural heritage under the theme "Bamboo Orchids".
The terminal makes pioneering use of about 140 metric tonnes of locally sourced Northeast bamboo, complemented by Kaziranga-inspired green landscapes, japi motifs, the iconic rhino symbol and 57 orchid-inspired columns reflecting the Kopou flower.
A unique "Sky Forest", featuring nearly one lakh plants of indigenous species, offers arriving passengers an immersive, forest-like experience.