Aizawl, Sep 13 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi as part of his two-day visit to the Northeast, will arrive in Aizawl on Saturday morning to lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects worth over Rs 9,000 crore. He will inaugurate the 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project and three new trains.

The inauguration of the ambitious 51.38-km Bairabi-Sairang railway project, will make Aizawl the fourth capital city in the Northeast to be connected by rail after Guwahati, Agartala and Itanagar.

A senior Mizoram government official said that the Prime Minister accompanied by state Chief Minister Lalduhoma and a few Central Ministers would flag off three new trains after the inauguration of the Bairabi–Sairang new railway project on Saturday.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) Chief Public Relations Officer (CPRO) Kapinjal Kishore Sharma said that these trains would greatly enhance rail connectivity between the state capital of Mizoram with important destinations across the country.

The three trains are Sairang-Anand Vihar (Delhi) Rajdhani Express (weekly), Kolkata-Sairang-Kolkata Express (tri-weekly) and Guwahati-Sairang-Guwahati Express (daily).

Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, who arrived in Aizawl on Friday, said that the Prime Minister would inaugurate the Bairabi-Sairang railway line project on which Rs 8,070 crore has been spent so far.

He said that the project work was very difficult as it features 45 tunnels and 55 major bridges.

Vaishnaw said that the project would bring significant changes in the lives of the people of Mizoram.

The Railways Minister also informed that three express trains will also be flagged off and of them one will be the Sairang-Delhi Rajdhani Express, the other train is the Mizoram Express which would run daily to Guwahati and the third would be the tri-weekly train up to Kolkata.

He informed that a goods train would also be operated from Sunday.

Before 2014, the allocation for Railway projects in Northeast was only Rs 2,000 crore which has been increased by five times by the Narendra Modi government, the Union Minister said.

Railway officials said that this enhanced connectivity in Mizoram would improve access to hospitals, universities, and markets, thereby strengthening educational, cultural, and economic ties across the region.

It would also generate employment opportunities, and significantly boost tourism in the region.

In a major boost to road infrastructure, the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone of multiple road projects, including the Aizawl Bypass Road, Thenzawl–Sialsuk Road and Khankawn–Rongura Road.

A Mizoram government official said that the 45 km Aizawl Bypass Road, worth over Rs 500 crore, under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East Region (PM-DevINE) scheme would aim to decongest Aizawl city, improve connectivity to Lunglei, Siaha, Lawngtlai, Lengpui Airport, and Sairang Railway Station among others.

It would reduce the travel time from southern districts to Aizawl by around 1.5 hours significantly benefitting the people in the region.

The official said that the Thenzawl–Sialsuk Road under North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme NESIDS (Roads), will benefit many horticulture farmers, dragon fruit growers, paddy cultivators, and ginger processors, while strengthening connectivity with the Aizawl–Thenzawl–Lunglei Highway.

The Khankawn–Rongura Road under NESIDS (Roads) in Serchhip District would provide better access to markets and benefit various horticulture farmers and other people in the region, while supporting the planned Ginger Processing Plant.

According to the official, the Prime Minister would also lay the foundation stone of Chhimtuipui River Bridge on the Lawngtlai–Siaha Road.

It would provide all-weather connectivity and reduce travel time by two hours. The bridge would also support cross-border commerce under the Kaladan Multimodal Transit framework.

The Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone of Khelo India Multipurpose Indoor Hall for Sports Development.

The hall at Tuikual will provide modern sports facilities including a multipurpose indoor arena benefitting and nurturing Mizoram’s youth for national and international competitions, the official said.

Strengthening the energy infrastructure in the region, the Prime Minister would lay the foundation stone of 30 TMTPA (thousand metric tonnes per annum) LPG Bottling Plant at Mualkhang in Aizawl.

It would aim at ensuring a steady and reliable supply of LPG in Mizoram and neighbouring states providing easier access to clean cooking fuel.

According to the official, the LPG Bottling Plant would also create local employment opportunities.

The Prime Minister would also inaugurate Residential School at Kawrthah under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram (PMJVK) scheme.

The school in Mamit aspirational district would provide modern classrooms, hostels, and sports facilities including an artificial football turf.

The official said it would benefit over 10,000 children and youth, laying the foundation for long-term social and educational progress.

Furthering his vision of quality education for all, the Prime Minister would also inaugurate Eklavya Model Residential School at Tlangnuam.

The school would improve enrollment, reduce dropout rates, and provide holistic education opportunities for tribal youth, he said.

–IANS

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