Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated a series of new projects in the aviation and railway sectors. The PM inaugurated the state-of-the-art integrated terminal building set up at a total outlay of Rs 2,437 crore at the Chennai airport.
After the inauguration, PM Modi inspected the arrangements made in the airport. PM Modi and CM Stalin also shared warm gestures during the inauguration.
The PM was accompanied by Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and Union Minister of State L Murugan. Tamil Nadu CM Stalin was also present at the event.
The PM also flagged off the special Vande Bharat Express between Chennai and Coimbatore, the first such service connecting two Tamil Nadu cities.
Earlier, PM Modi in a tweet while sharing images of the airport building said, "This will be an important addition to Chennai's infrastructure. It will boost connectivity and also benefit the local economy,"
The new terminal, equipped with 108 immigration counters, is spread across 2.20 lakh sq metres and would cater to the growing air traffic in Tamil Nadu. "With the annual passenger handling capacity of 35 million passengers, the modern facility at the Chennai Airport will improve air travel experiences for all," the Ministry of Civil Aviation said.
Later, PM Modi would take part in the 125th annual day celebrations of Sri Ramakrishna Math here. Security has been beefed up across the city in view of the PM’s visit. Earlier in the day, PM Modi was in Hyderabad where he inaugurated and laid foundation stone of projects worth over Rs 11,300 crore besides flagging off the Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express.
Prior to the visit, the state witnessed protests by Congress against PM Modi visiting the city. The Congress members held black flags and said slogans like 'Go Back Modi' at Valluvar Kottam in Chennai.