Steel City Rourkela gears up for PM Modi’s Visit

The steel city of Odisha, Rourkela is gearing up for the maiden visit of Narendra Modi after assuming the office of Prime Minister on April 1.

During his visit, the Prime minister is scheduled to dedicate the second phase modernisation of the Rourkela Steel Plant, RSP, to the nation in which the steel plant has got a new coke-oven battery, a slab caster and a new plate mill. Around Rs 12,000 crore has already been spent for this project.

With this the plant’s production capacity is being upgraded from 2.2 million tonnes to 4.5 million tonnes per annum.

Besides dedicating the second phases of RSP modernisations to nation the PM may laid foundation of Rourkela air strip expansion and declare the upgradation of IGH to a medical college as because it was his poll commitment here said source. But it may be noted here that during his last visit to city the steel minister had very categorically said that SAIL has no plan to have a medical college here on its own source.

Though district administration says it has no information about the visit of Prime Minister, the RSP management are involved in preparing some ground works to welcome and solemn a number of programmes on the visit of the PM. Works like cleaning and painting of Rourkela air strip premises, ring roads, plant premises and preparation of additional helipad in CISF barrack are in full swing.

Moreover, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders include Union Minister Jual Oram and Rourkela MLA Dilip Ray holding thorough preparatory meetings in different parts of the district to mobilise the people to attend the public meeting in large number on the day of Modi’s visit to the city.