PM launches key projects in Puducherry

Puducherry: Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched several key projects in Puducherry on Thursday, just days after a Congress government collapsed in the state. He is on a one-day visit to poll-bound Puducherry and Tamil Nadu on Thursday to lay foundation stone for various projects. On arrival at Puducherry, he participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony for four projects including the four-laning of a part of National Highway 45-A which connects the union territory of Puducherry to Tamil Nadu. The cost of the 56-km long Sattanathapuram-Nagapattinam project will be about Rs 2,426 crore.

Stressing on the need for good roads to ensure farmers' produce get access to better markets, the Prime Minister said that four-laning of the NH-45-A will also attract industries to the region and generate employment opportunities for local youth. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a medical college building in Karaikal and development of a minor port at Puducherry. The port will provide connectivity to Chennai and facilitate cargo movement for industries in the union territory.

Addressing a BJP rally at Puducherry, the Prime Minister launched a blistering attack on the Congress-led government which had to step down on Monday on account of the loss of numbers in the Assembly. In the dramatic development on Monday, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy and MLAs of the Congress-led government had walked out of the Assembly ahead of the floor test and later conceded defeat.