Chandigarh: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth over Rs 4,700 crore, spanning healthcare, education and road infrastructure.
The inaugurated projects were the advanced neuroscience centre and mother and child centre at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), a multipurpose auditorium at Panjab University’s South Campus in Sector 25 and road infrastructure projects in the tricity region, comprising Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali.
Subsequently, the Prime Minister will be visiting Jalandhar in Punjab, where he will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate multiple development projects of Rs 5,470 crore. Before reaching here, PM Modi launched the country’s first 10-coach hydrogen-powered train named NaMo Green Rail and several projects of Rs 14,700 crore, strengthening connectivity, healthcare and cultural heritage, from Haryana’s Jind.
Accompanying Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda and Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, PM virtually inaugurated PGIMER’s Advanced Mother and Child Centre that has been designed to provide comprehensive tertiary healthcare services for high-risk pregnancies, critically ill newborns and children requiring specialised treatment.
Equipped with 300 beds and state-of-the-art medical facilities, the centre will significantly strengthen maternal and child healthcare services and benefit thousands of families across the region. The Advanced Neurosciences Centre will provide integrated services in neurology, neurosurgery, neuro-critical care and advanced diagnostic facilities under one roof. It will ensure timely and world-class treatment for patients suffering from complex neurological disorders while strengthening medical research, education and training in neurosciences.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of a 150-bed state-of-the-art Critical Care Block under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) in PGIMER. The facility will significantly enhance emergency preparedness, intensive care services and disaster response capabilities while strengthening the overall healthcare infrastructure of the region.
PM Modi also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several infrastructure projects pertaining to educational institutions in Chandigarh. These include the inauguration of Kurukshetra Boys Hostel and Mess at Punjab Engineering College, the Hostel Block in Government College in Sector 46 and the foundation stone of Research Scholars’ Hostel in Punjab Engineering College. These facilities will strengthen academic infrastructure, improve residential facilities for students and researchers, and create a better environment for higher education.
The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of major road infrastructure projects aimed at improving connectivity in the region. He inaugurated the six-lane Greenfield Highway from IT City to Kurali in Mohali district, an important infrastructure project for the region. The highway will reduce travel time between Mohali, Kharar and Kurali while providing improved connectivity between Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for the PR-7 Spur of the Ambala-Chandigarh Greenfield Highway (NH-205A), a 10.3-km Greenfield corridor that will enable long-distance traffic to bypass the urban areas of Zirakpur and connect the Zirakpur Bypass directly to Aerocity on the outskirts of Chandigarh.
(IANS)
