ITANAGAR, Feb 9 - Amid the raging protests against the Citizenship Amendment Bill by various sections of society, including the Opposition Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today arrived at the Arunachal Pradesh and launched a slew of development projects, worth more than Rs 4,000 crore, at a public function in the Indira Gandhi Park here.
While members of student bodies of premier institutions like the Rajiv Gandhi University, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology (NERIST) and Himalayan University took out rallies in protest against the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, wearing black badges, the Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) observed a �black day�.
The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the construction of the greenfield airport at Hollongi and inaugurated the retrofitted Tezu Airport. The terminal at Hollongi will be constructed at a cost of Rs 955 crore with an area of 4,100 square metres and peak handling capacity of 200 passengers per hour.
On the occasion, Modi said that connectivity of the State would improve. �The Tezu Airport was built 50 years back, but no Government envisioned to connect the people of this State with other parts of the country. We expanded the small airport by spending around Rs 125 crore,� the Prime Minister stated.
�The UDAN scheme will benefit people through cheaper flights. The lives of the people in Arunachal Pradesh will improve vastly with new and improved rail and road facilities,� he added.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Sela Tunnel, which will provide all-weather connectivity to the Tawang Valley and reduce the travel time to Tawang by an hour. It will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 700 crore.
The Prime Minister said that the rail-cum-road bridge at Bogibeel has brought Arunachal Pradesh more closer to the mainland. The Government is working on projects worth almost Rs 1,000 crore to improve connectivity in the State. Modi said that in the last two years, around 1,000 villages have been connected through roads. The work on the Trans Arunachal Highway is also in progress, he added.
In a bid to connect all State capitals of the North Eastern States, Itanagar has also been connected with railways, the Prime Minister said. The Arunachal Express is running twice a week from Naharlagun. Survey will be conducted at seven places for laying of new rail lines. Survey at three places has already been completed. There is also a plan to connect Tawang by rail, Modi added.
The Prime Minister announced 100 per cent household electrification in Arunachal Pradesh under the Saubhagya scheme. He also dedicated the 110-MW Pare Hydroelectric Plant in Arunachal Pradesh to the nation.
Besides, the Prime Minister also inaugurated 50 health and wellness centres. Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, almost 11 lakh poor people have benefited within 150 days, he added.
The Prime Minister also launched a dedicated DD channel for Arunachal Pradesh � DD Arun Prabha � which is Doordarshan�s 24th channel and the second in the North East after DD North East. Modi said that through this channel news of even remote places in the State would reach the people.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for a permanent campus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Jote near Itanagar.
