Vikrant Shekhawat : Jan 12, 2024, 10:26 PM
Maharashtra News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in Maharashtra on Friday amid the ongoing politics and festive atmosphere regarding the Ram Mandir Pran Pratistha ceremony in the country. He inaugurated several projects in Maharashtra totaling more than Rs 30,500 crore. These include the country's longest bridge on the sea 'Atal Setu' and the expansion of the suburban rail corridor. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated a huge facility for gems and jewelery and also laid the foundation stone of a tunnel road in South Mumbai.Inauguration of Atal BridgeThe Prime Minister, who was visiting Maharashtra, first inaugurated the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Bridge, built at a cost of Rs 17,840 crore. This bridge, also called the Mumbai Trans Harbor Link, will reduce the distance between Mumbai and suburban Navi Mumbai from a few hours to just 15-20 minutes. This is likely to boost development in the region, which has a major port and an international airport under construction. This longest bridge of the country is 21.8 kilometers long which includes 16.5 kilometers over the sea. With its launch, the distance from Mumbai metropolis to Navi Mumbai International Airport will be reduced and the travel time to Pune, Goa and South Indian cities will also be reduced. Officials said that the commissioning of this bridge will improve the connectivity between Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port located at Nhava Sheva in neighboring district Raigarh. The foundation stone of Atal Setu was laid by Prime Minister Modi in December 2016. Despite the disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, its construction was not significantly affected.Inauguration of Sub Urban Rail CorridorPrime Minister Modi also inaugurated the 14.60 km long Kharkopar-Uran section of the Belapur-Seawoods-Uran suburban corridor at a function held in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai. It was built at a cost of Rs 2973.35 crore, which was shared in the 67:33 ratio between CIDCO, the planning authority of the Government of Maharashtra, and the Railways. Work on this rail corridor has been going on since the 1990s but it has faced several delays. The section of the corridor inaugurated by the Prime Minister has five stations and several bridges. At present, 40 suburban services are operating on this route and the extension till Uran will increase connectivity with the surrounding areas including the SEZ.inauguration of digha village railway lineThe Prime Minister also inaugurated the Digha Gaon Railway Line on the Thane-Vashi Transharbor Line of the Central Railway. This will reduce congestion at Thane and Airoli stations on this route. Along with this, he also dedicated the sixth line between Khar and Goregaon to the nation. The 8.8 km long line, built at a cost of about Rs 425 crore, was completed in November.Laying the foundation stone of 9.2 kilometer long tunnelApart from this, Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone of the ambitious 9.2 km long tunnel connecting Orange Gate on Eastern Freeway and Marine Drive. It will be built at a cost of Rs 8,700 crore. This will speed up traffic around Mumbai Port, CSMT and GPO along with the city's iconic Nariman Point.Surya Regional Bulk Drinking Water ProjectHe dedicated the first phase of Surya Regional Bulk Drinking Water Project, which has been built at a cost of Rs 1,975 crore. This will improve water supply in Thane and Palghar districts. Modi also inaugurated 'Bharat Ratnam', a mega facility for the gems and jewelery sector at the Santa Cruz Electronic Export Processing Zone SEZ in Mumbai. It is the first center of its kind in India with state-of-the-art machines which also includes 3D metal printing. Officials said that a training center will also be opened in Bharat Ratnam to skill the disabled students and the workforce of the gems and jewelery sector. Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the New Enterprises and Services Tower in this SEZ. This tower is mainly for gems and jewelery units.