Imphal: A massive security arrangement has been put in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur on Tuesday, with the state government ordering all oil depots on his route from Imphal airport to down shutters temporarily and declaring most Greater Imphal areas a Red Zone where the use of drone and other sensitive materials were banned.
Police have been patrolling the roads and frisking the passersby, while combing operations were also being conducted at various places, in the backdrop of militant groups operating in the state calling for a boycott of the Prime Minister’s visit.
The Coordination Committee (CorCom), a conglomerate of seven Manipur-based armed outfits, has given the boycott call and imposed a total shutdown from 1 am on January 4 till the Prime Minister’s departure.
The National Revolutionary Front, Manipur (NRFM) has also called a 12-hour bandh in Manipur on January 4 starting from 6 am.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister N Biren Singh said he received a call on Monday from Union Minister Piyush Goyal, who informed him that Rs 31 Crore was sanctioned to establish a Mega Handloom Cluster at Nongpok Kakching, the village of Olympic Silver Medalist Saikhom Mirabai Chanu. The PM will be laying the foundation stone for this project.
The Manipur government officials said the Prime Minister will inaugurate 13 Projects worth around Rs.1850 crores and lay the foundation stone of nine projects worth around Rs 2950 crore.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the construction of 110 km of five National Highway Projects to be built at a cost of more than Rs 1700 crore. Another important infrastructure that will enhance seamless year-round connectivity to Silchar from Imphal and reduce traffic congestion, is the Steel Bridge built over Barak River on NH-37 constructed at a cost of over Rs 75 crore.
N Biren said another bridge on the same highway is nearing completion.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate, to the people of Manipur, 2,387 mobile towers built at a cost of around Rs 1100 crores.
The projects being inaugurated by the Prime Minister include the Rs 280 crore worth ‘Water Transmission system of Thoubal Multi-purpose project’, which will provide drinking water supply to the Imphal city; the Water Supply Scheme project by Water Conservation, for Tamenglong Headquarters built at a cost of Rs 65 crore, to provide safe drinking water to residents of ten habitations of Tamenglong district; and the ‘Augmentation of Senapati District Headquarter Water Supply Scheme’ built at a cost of Rs. 51 crore to provide a regular water supply to the residents of the area.
The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of ‘State of the Art Cancer Hospital’ in Imphal worth around Rs. 160 crore on a PPP basis. Further, to boost the Covid related infrastructure in the state, Modi will inaugurate a 200-bedCovid Hospital at Kiyamgei which has been set up at a cost of about Rs. 37 crore in collaboration with the DRDO.
