Patna, Sep 15 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday inaugurated the much-awaited Purnea airport in Bihar, fulfilling a long-standing demand of the people of the Seemanchal and the Kosi region.

On the occasion, the Prime Minister also flagged off the first commercial flight of IndiGo from Purnea, marking the district’s formal inclusion on India’s aviation map.

The airport, constructed at a cost of nearly Rs 40,000 crore, is expected to transform connectivity in eastern Bihar and accelerate economic growth in the region.

With future expansion plans, the aiport will soon connect Purnea with Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, apart from the already announced flights to Ahmedabad and Kolkata.

The Prime Minister, who reached the venue slightly late due to a prior engagement in Kolkata, was given a grand welcome with cultural performances and traditional dances.

He was joined by Civil Aviation Minister N. Ram Mohan Naidu, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Deputy CMs Samrat Choudhary and Vijay Kumar Sinha, along with several Union and state ministers.

Arriving along with CM Nitish Kumar and the deputy chief ministers, PM Modi was felicitated with a garland made of makhana by BJP state president Dilip Jaiswal.

Besides the airport, Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated the Araria–Galgalia–Thakurganj new rail line worth Rs 4,410 crore.

He has flagged off the Jogbani–Danapur Vande Bharat Express, Jogbani–Erode Amrit Bharat Express, and Saharsa–Amritsar Amrit Bharat Express.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation of the Vikramshila–Katariya rail line worth Rs 2,170 crore, the 2400 MW Thermal Power Project worth Rs 25,000 crore in Bhagalpur’s Pirpaiti block, the Kosi–Mechi Interstate River Link Project (Phase 1) worth Rs 2,680 crore, Namami Gange projects in Bhagalpur, including STPs, interception and diversion projects, and drinking water projects for Darbhanga, Katihar, and Bhagalpur.

Under the housing and social development project, PM Modi gave the keys to beneficiaries under PM Awas Yojana for 40,920 families. These homes were built at a cost of Rs 603 crore, distribution of community investment fund worth Rs 500 crore, established National Makhana Board, to support Bihar’s traditional makhana farmers, and Semen Bank facility in Purnea, built at a cost of Rs 64 crore.

–IANS

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