Varanasi: Preparations are afoot in Varanasi as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting his Lok Sabha constituency on Thursday. During his day-long visit, he will address a public rally, inaugurate a power project scheme and open a trauma centre at the Banaras Hindu University.
The Prime Minister will reach the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport at Babatpur in a special plane on Thursday afternoon. Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, who will also arrive at the airport from Lucknow will receive Modi at the airport along with Governor Ram Naik.
At the programme, Modi will launch an Integrated Power Development Scheme (IPDS), give a go-ahead to the four-laning of the Varanasi-Babatpur Road and lay the foundation stone of a Ring Road.
He will also lay the foundation stones for two power sub-stations at Chowk and Kazzakpura respectively from the DLW Grounds and later address a public gathering. Before heading to the DLW Grounds the Prime Minister will first inaugurate the much-awaited Trauma Centre of the Banaras Hindu University.
Modi's rally to the city was cancelled on June 28 due to heavy rain, which had left the venue (DLW Grounds) waterlogged. The PMO is monitoring all arrangements ahead of Thursday's rally.
Power Grid Corporation of India has been asked to erect a special waterproof pandal at the venue. Three special technicians have been called from New Delhi and a large number of labourers are working round the clock on it, said Sanjay Bhardwaj, Media In-charge of Varanasi Constituency as well as the Poorvanchal (Eastern UP) Region.
Pandal flooring base has been prepared by first laying bricks and then covered with plywoods, and even water pumps have been installed to meet any contingencies, he said.
Union Power Minister Piyush Goyal will also be present during the launch of the IPDS and few more Union ministers would also be present there.
State BJP chief Laxmikant Bajpai who reached Varanasi on Wednesday, held meetings with party workers to look into the preparations. UP Health Minister Ahmad Hasan along with UP Power Minister Yasar Shah will accompany Modi throughout the programme.
A large number of central police forces along with state police forces have been deployed and senior administrative and police officials here are regularly visiting the venues where Modi's engagements are scheduled. The venues will be fully in control of the SPG force, an official here said.
Modi will also meet some dignitaries and prominent people of his constituency, along with some representatives of few NGOs here at the airport's VVIP lounge and will then fly back to New Delhi.
IPDS is an ambitious scheme aims at ensuring 24x7 power supply to all people across the country, for which the Centre will be providing a budgetary support of close to Rs 46,000 crore.
After winning Lok Sabha elections from both Varanasi and Vadodara in 2014, Modi gave up the seat in his home state of Gujarat to retain this eastern UP Parliamentary constituency.
His decision to contest from here was seen as a political master-stroke which had helped the BJP put up its best-ever show in Lok Sabha polls, winning over 70 seats in UP and getting a majority on its own.
On his previous two visits to his Lok Sabha constituency - on November 7-8 and December 25 - Modi has gifted Varanasi a number of projects like trade facilitation centre for weavers, adopted a village "Jayapur" for development under the Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana, and inaugurated an Inter-University Teachers' Training Centre at BHU. The Prime Minister also led from the front in cleaning of the fabled 'Assi Ghat'.
(With PTI inputs)
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