Modi to inaugurate Shivamogga airport, launch development projects in Belagavi

Bengaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Shivamogga airport with a lotus-shaped terminal and lay the foundation for various development projects in Belagavi.

The inauguration of the Shivamogga airport coincides with the BJP strongman and former chief minister B S Yediyurappa's 80th birthday in his hometown.

The two cities of Karnataka have decked up to receive the Prime Minister with festoons, party flags, banners and posters.

A thick security blanket has been thrown in Belagavi where the Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a roadshow.

According to an official statement, the Prime Minister will arrive at the Shivamogga airport at about 11 am.

He will also undertake a walk-through and inspect the Shivamogga Airport. He will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multiple projects at Shivamogga.

The new airport has been developed at a cost of around Rs 450 crore. The passenger terminal building of the airport can handle 300 passengers per hour.

The airport is expected to improve connectivity and accessibility from Shivamogga and other neighbouring areas in the Malnad region.

Modi will also lay the foundation stone for two railway projects in Shivamogga, which are Shikaripura–Ranebennur new Railway line and Koteganguru Railway coaching depot.

The Shivamogga–Shikaripura–Ranebennur new Railway line will be developed at a cost of Rs 990 crore and will provide enhanced connectivity for Malnad region with Bengaluru-Mumbai mainline.

The Koteganguru Railway coaching depot at Shivamogga city will be developed at a cost of more than Rs 100 crore to help start new trains from Shivamogga and decongest maintenance facilities at Bengaluru and Mysuru.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for multiple road development projects of more than Rs 215 crore, including construction of new bypass road for Shikaripura Town on NH 766C connecting Byndur – Ranebennur, widening of NH-169A from Megaravalli to Agumbe; and construction of new bridge at Bharathipura in Teerthahalli Taluk on NH 169.

He will also inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of multi-village schemes worth more than Rs 950 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission.

This includes inauguration of one multi-village scheme for Gowthamapura and 127 other villages and laying the foundation stone for three other multi-village schemes to be developed at a total cost of more than Rs 860 crore.

The four schemes aim to provide functional household piped water connections and are expected to benefit a total of more than 4.4 lakh people.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate 44 Smart City Projects worth more than Rs 895 crore in Shivamogga city. The Prime Minister will fly to Belagavi where he will release Rs 2,000 each to farmers under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi Scheme (PM-KISAN) scheme. A total of more than Rs 16,800 crore will be deposited directly in the accounts of more than eight crore farmers under the scheme.

Modi will dedicate the redeveloped Belagavi Railway Station building to the nation, which has been redeveloped at an approximate cost of about Rs 190 crore to provide world-class amenities to the passengers.

He will also dedicate to public the rail line doubling project between Londa-Belagavi worth Rs 930 crore.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of six multi village scheme projects under Jal Jeevan Mission in Belagavi, which will be developed at a cumulative cost of about Rs 1,585 crore and will benefit about 8.8 lakh population of more than 315 villages.

Modi's visit to Shivamogga on Monday will be the fifth to Karnataka this year. He had come to Hubballi on January 12 to inaugurate the Hubballi Youth Festival. He also dedicated to public the Narayanpur Left Bank Canal and took part in Hakku Patra distribution to Lambani nomadic tribes at Yadgir on January 19.

The Prime Minister had also inaugurated the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited’s helicopter manufacturing facility at Tumakuru on February 6 and inaugurated the biennial event Indian Aero Show in Bengaluru on February 13.

The Assembly elections in Karnataka are due sometime in April-May.