Varanasi decked up for another Diwali during PM's visit on Nov 12

Varanasi, Nov 8: the temple city of Varanasi is being decked up for another Deepawali to be held on November 12, when the local MP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a day long visit.

The PM will be visiting for the 15th time and will lay the foundations and inaugurate projects worth over Rs 2400 crore for Varanasi and its adjoining area during his visit on Monday next Inauguration will also include an inland port or Multi model terminal constructed at Ramnagar. The PM will welcome a ship container from Kolkata named Ravindra Nath Tagore at the port.

The PM will also visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor for which he will inaugurate the first phase.

Around 50 crossings in the city has been cleaned and on the day earthen Diyas would be lightened for its beautification. Rangolis would be made by different women organisations on the side of the roads to add the beauty to welcome the PM.

The new Babatpur four land road and the ring road have been beautified with LED lights on the poles.
At several places people will shower flower petals on the cavalcade of the PM while Mr Modi will address a gathering at Wazidpur village on the ring road during his visit.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath would be visiting Varanasi on Thursday to inspect the projects to be inaugurated or foundation to be laid by the PM on November 12.

The CM would be staying in the city for two days and will report back to the PMO about the projects.

NHAI has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the Nation, two important national highways in Varanasi, having a total length of 34 kilometres and constructed at a cost of Rs 1571.95 crore on November 12.

He will be accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Union Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Minister Nitin Gadkari and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The function will be held in the afternoon at Ring Road Tiraha, Hardua.
The 16.55 km Varanasi Ring Road Phase-I has been completed at a cost of Rs 759.36 crore, while the work of four-laning and construction of 17.25 km Babatput-Varanasi road on NH-56 has cost Rs 812.59 crore. The roads have been constructed by NHAI under Bharatmala programme.

The Babatpur Airport highway will link Varanasi to the airport and go on to Jaunpur, Sultanpur and Lucknow.

With a flyover at Harhua and an ROB at Tarna, the road will reduce the travel time from Varanasi to the airport.

This will provide a big relief to the people of Varanasi and to tourists and other visitors to the city.
The Ring Road, with two ROBs and a flyover, will provide a way for traffic on NH 56 (Lucknow-Varanasi), NH 233 (Azamgarh-Varanasi), NH 29 ( Gorakhpur-Varanasi ) and Ayodhya – Varanasi highways to by pass Varanasi city, thereby reducing traffic congestion in the city.

In a separate event the same day, the Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation an inland waterways terminal on river Ganga in Varanasi.

This is the first of the four multi modal terminals being constructed on NW-I ( River Ganga) as part of the World Bank aided Jal Marg Vikas project of the Inland Waterways Authority of India.

The other three terminals are under construction at Sahibganj, Haldia and Gazipur.

The project would enable commercial navigation of vessels with capacity of 1500-2,000 DWT on river Ganga.

The Prime Minister will also receive the country’s first container consignment (post independence) to be sent on an inland waterways vessel. This consignment, containing cargo of the food and beverage company Pepsico, will set sail from Kolkata in the last week of October.