PM launches rail and road projects worth over Rs 3,250 cr in West Bengal
Malda (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday unveiled rail and road infrastructure projects worth Rs 3,250 crore, aimed at strengthening connectivity and accelerating development in West Bengal and the North East.
At a public function in Malda in north Bengal, the Prime Minister virtually flagged off four Amrit Bharat Express trains connecting New Jalpaiguri with Nagercoil and Tiruchirappalli, and Alipurduar with SMVT Bengaluru and Mumbai (Panvel).
Earlier, the Prime Minister flagged off the country’s most advanced and the first set of Vande Bharat sleeper trains between Howrah and Guwahati (Kamakhya) from Malda Town Railway Station.
The fully air-conditioned sleeper train is expected to cut travel time on the Howrah-Guwahati route by around 2.5 hours. Currently, it takes nearly 18 hours from Howrah to Guwahati by train.
Speaking at the inauguration function, Modi said the new projects, especially the new trains, will enable and empower the youth of the region.
“There was a time when we used to watch the developed foreign nations and dreamt of such modern trains in our country. Today that dream has come true,” the PM said.
“The new Vande Bharat sleeper train has connected the holy land of Maa Kali to that of Maa Kamakhya,” he added.
India has both modernised its transport facilities and made the country self-reliant, Modi said, adding that the country is currently making more railway coaches in India than in Europe or the US.
Speaking at the occasion, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said that India would soon be exporting Vande Bharat trains.
“Keeping in mind the food tastes of the region, passengers of the Vande Bharat trains departing from Kolkata would be served Bengali cuisine and those from Guwahati would be offered Assamese food,” he announced.
A statement issued by the PMO stated that the new projects will enhance affordable and reliable long-distance rail connectivity.
“These services will support the mobility needs of common citizens, students, migrant workers and traders, while strengthening inter-state economic and social linkages,” it said.
At the function, Modi laid the foundation stone of four major railway projects in the state, including the new rail line between Balurghat and Hili, next-generation freight maintenance facilities at New Jalpaiguri, upgradation of the Siliguri Loco Shed, and modernisation of Vande Bharat train maintenance facilities in Jalpaiguri district.
“These projects will strengthen passenger and freight operations, improve logistics efficiency in North Bengal, and generate employment opportunities in the region,” the statement said.
The PM also flagged off two new train services equipped with LHB coaches to facilitate connectivity of the region’s youth, students, and IT professionals to Bengaluru, a major IT hub of the country.
Modi laid the foundation stone for the rehabilitation and four-laning of the Dhupguri–Falakata section of National Highway-31D, a key project to improve regional road connectivity in North Bengal.
“These projects will play a vital role in building modern infrastructure creation and improved connectivity, strengthening the Eastern and North-Eastern regions as key growth engines of the nation,” the statement said.
On a two-day visit to eastern India, Modi is scheduled to criss-cross poll-bound Bengal and Assam, blending high-voltage political messaging with a clutch of infrastructure launches as the countdown to the 2026 assembly elections enters its decisive phase.
He is scheduled to return to the state on Sunday after holding a political rally in Malda on Saturday afternoon and then moving to Guwahati for his overnight stay there and spearheading a host of scheduled events the following morning.
On Sunday, the PM will address a keenly monitored political meeting from Singur in Hooghly district, the epicentre of the anti-land acquisition movement that propelled Mamata Banerjee to power in 2011 and reshaped the state’s political landscape.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Screenwriter Salim Khan on ventilator support and stable, say doctors
Mumbai (PTI): Veteran screenwriter Salim Khan suffered a brain haemorrhage which has been tackled, is on ventilator support as a safeguard and stable, doctors treating him said on Wednesday, a day after he was admitted to the Lilavati Hospital here.
The 90-year-old, one half of the celebrated Salim-Javed duo which scripted films such as "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don" with Javed Akhtar, is in the ICU and recovery might take some time given his age.
"His blood pressure was high for which we treated him and we had to put him on a ventilator because we wanted to do certain investigations. Now the ventilator was put as a safeguard so that his situation doesn't get worse. So it is not that he is critical," Dr Jalil Parkar told reporters.
"We did the investigations that were required and today we have done a small procedure on him, I will not go into the details. The procedure done is called DSA (digital subtraction angiography). The procedure has been accomplished, he is fine and stable and shifted back to ICU. By tomorrow, we hope to get him off the ventilator. All in all, he is doing quite well," he added.
Asked whether he suffered a brain haemorrhage, the doctor said, "Unko thoda haemorrhage hua tha, which we’ve tackled. No surgery is required.
As concern over Khan's health mounted, his children, including superstar Salman Khan and Arbaaz Khan, daughter Alvira, and sons-in-law Atul Agnihotri and Aayush Sharma, have been seen outside the hospital along with other well-wishers. His long-time partner Akhtar was also seen coming out of the hospital.
Khan, a household name in the 70s and 80s, turned 90 on November 24 last year. It was the day Dharmendra, the star of many of his films, including "Sholay", "Seeta aur Geeta" and "Yaadon Ki Baraat", passed away.
Hailing from an affluent family in Indore, Khan arrived in Mumbai in his 20s with dreams of stardom. He was good looking and confident he would make a mark in the industry as an actor. But that did not happen. And then, after struggling for close to a decade and getting confined to small roles in films, he changed lanes.
He worked as an assistant to Abrar Alvi and soon met Akhtar to form one of Hindi cinema's most formidable writing partnerships. They worked together on two dozen movies with most of them achieving blockbuster status.
Other than "Sholay", "Deewar" and "Don", Khan and Akhtar also penned "Trishul", "Zanjeer", "Seeta Aur Geeta", "Haathi Mere Saathi", "Yaadon Ki Baarat" and "Mr India".
