PM Modi to Launch ₹18,680 Cr Projects in Bengal on March 14

• PM Modi to visit West Bengal on March 14 to launch major infrastructure projects
• Development works worth ₹18,680 crore to be inaugurated and launched in Kolkata
• Projects include highways, ports, railways and six redeveloped railway stations
• Purulia–Anand Vihar Express to boost rail connectivity with North India

GG News Bureau
Kolkata, 12th March: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal on March 14 to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for multiple development projects worth around ₹18,680 crore in Kolkata.

The projects span key sectors including road infrastructure, railways, ports and shipping, aimed at improving connectivity, boosting economic growth and strengthening infrastructure in eastern India.

A major focus of the visit will be the launch and foundation laying of National Highway projects exceeding 420 kilometres in length, with a total investment of about ₹16,990 crore. The projects include key sections of NH-19 in West Bengal and Jharkhand and NH-114 in West Bengal. These highway upgrades are expected to enhance road safety, reduce travel time, ease congestion and pollution, and promote tourism and regional economic activity.

The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone for several new highway projects, including five packages of the 231-km four-lane Kharagpur–Moregram economic corridor on NH-116A. The corridor will pass through districts such as Paschim Medinipur, Bankura, Hooghly, Purba Bardhaman, Birbhum and Murshidabad, forming part of the larger economic corridor between Kharagpur and Siliguri. Once completed, the corridor will reduce travel distance by about 120 kilometres and cut travel time by seven to eight hours.

Additionally, Modi will lay the foundation stone for the 5.6-km Dubrajpur Bypass on NH-14, which will help decongest the town and reduce travel time by nearly one hour. Foundation stones will also be laid for major four-lane bridges over the Kangshabati and Shilabati rivers on NH-14.

In the port and shipping sector, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the mechanisation project of Berth No. 2 at Haldia Dock Complex, aimed at enabling faster and more environment-friendly cargo handling while improving safety and operational efficiency. He will also inaugurate the rejuvenation project at Khidderpore Docks (Dock 1 – West).

Further, several port infrastructure projects will be launched, including mechanisation of Berth No. 5 at Haldia Dock Complex, renovation of the Bascule Bridge at Kolkata Dock System, yard development at Kidderpore Dock, bank protection works along the Kolkata riverfront, and construction of a river cruise terminal and tourism facility near the Indenture Memorial complex.

In the railway sector, the Prime Minister will flag off the Purulia–Anand Vihar Terminal Express, enhancing connectivity between West Bengal and major regions including Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand.

Modi will also inaugurate six redeveloped railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme—Kamakhyaguri, Anara, Tamluk, Haldia, Barabhum and Siuri. These upgraded stations aim to provide improved passenger facilities and modern infrastructure.

In addition, two railway projects will be dedicated to the nation: the 16-km third rail line between Belda and Dantan and the Automatic Block Signalling system between Kalaikunda and Kanimohuli, both aimed at improving train safety, punctuality and operational efficiency.

The initiatives underline the government’s focus on strengthening infrastructure, improving connectivity and accelerating economic development in West Bengal and the eastern region of the country.