TIRUCHY: The newly dedicated Indian Oil Corporation’s Lube Blending Plant in Chennai is one of the world’s largest facilities of its kind and it would fulfill the demands of many major industries in Tamil Nadu and beyond, would reduce imports and save money for the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said here on Wednesday.
Inaugurating and laying foundations for various energy, petroleum and natural gas, road transport and highways, railways and rural projects to the tune of Rs 5,600 crore in Tiruchy, Prime Minister Modi said the inaugurated projects would boost energy access, connectivity and create thousands of jobs for the youth of Tamil Nadu.
The upcoming Bharat Petroleum’s City Gas distribution network will cover the Nilgiris and Erode. The Piped Natural Gas is expected to benefit nearly nine lakh families and hundreds of commercial organisations.
Piped gas will flow directly to homes, boosting ease of living, the PM said. Thousands of jobs will be created directly and indirectly, and natural gas is an environment-friendly fuel that plays an important role in reducing air pollution, he noted, adding, “I am told that the environmental impact of this project in just eight years will be be similar to the planting four crore trees.”
Citing that he inaugurated the rural road connectivity project, which covers 370 km under the Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the PM assured that each road was not just a piece of infrastructure but will also provide patients with better access to healthcare, students with comfortable travel to schools and colleges, and farmers with easy travel to different markets. “Above all, each road lifts the rural economy and improves ease of living,” he said.
Prime Minister Modi recalled his visit to Gangaikonda Cholapuram for the Aadi Thiruvathirai festival and the celebration of 1,000 years of the construction of the grand temple by Emperor Rajendra Chola.
“It is a UNESCO-recognised site that attracts tourists from across the world, but the existing highway passes very close to the temple, causing safety concerns to pilgrims and tourists. So, a new bypass has been planned and vehicles will now be diverted away from the temple. This means better safety for everyone,” he said.
The PM also assured that the Centre is fully committed to the welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu, and the NDA government is working on the state’s welfare. He said work on the projects inaugurated in Madurai a few days back will continue.
Apart from inaugurating eight modernised and redeveloped railway stations under the Amrit Bharat programme in Madurai, the prime minister said he had flagged off several new trains, which would connect Nagercoil, Coimbatore, Rameshwaram, Tirunelveli, Mayiladuthurai and Karaikudi with other regions and boost tourism and generate jobs.