PM Modi to visit Bengal, Assam on Jan 17, 18; will flag off first Vande Bharat sleeper train
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit West Bengal and Assam on January 17 and 18 where he will flag off India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train between Howrah and Guwahati, lay the foundation stone and flag off various development projects in the two poll-bound states and perform bhoomi pujan for the Kaziranga elevated corridor project.
The prime minister will visit Malda in West Bengal on Saturday around 12.45 pm and flag off India's first Vande Bharat sleeper train connecting Howrah with Guwahati (Kamakhya) at the Malda town railway station, an official statement said.
Around 1.45 pm, he will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation stone of multiple rail and road infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 3,250 crore in a public function at Malda.
On January 18, around 3 pm, Modi will inaugurate, lay the foundation stone and flag off various development projects worth around Rs 830 crore at Singur in Hooghly district.
West Bengal and Assam will face assembly elections later this year.
The prime minister will further virtually flag off four new Amrit Bharat Express trains -- New Jalpaiguri-Nagercoil Amrit Bharat Express, New Jalpaiguri-Tiruchirappalli Amrit Bharat Express, Alipurduar-SMVT Bengaluru Amrit Bharat Express and Alipurduar-Mumbai (Panvel) Amrit Bharat Express.
This 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, the statement said.
Modi will also flag off two new train services equipped with LHB coaches -- Radhikapur-SMVT Bengaluru Express and Balurghat-SMVT Bengaluru Express. These trains will provide the region's youth, students and IT professionals with direct, safe and comfortable travel connectivity to major IT and employment hubs such as Bengaluru.
The prime minister will lay the foundation stone for the rehabilitation and four-laning of the Dhupguri-Falakata section of National Highway-31D, a key road project that will improve regional road connectivity and facilitate smoother movement of passengers and goods in north Bengal.
These projects will play a vital role in building modern infrastructure and improved connectivity, strengthening the eastern and northeastern regions as key growth engines of the nation.
The prime minister will lay the foundation stone of four major railway projects in West Bengal, 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.
He will dedicate to the nation the electrification of rail lines between New Coochbehar–Bamanhat and New Coochbehar–Boxirhat, enabling faster, cleaner and more energy-efficient train operations.
On January 17, around 6 pm, PM Modi will participate in the traditional Bodo cultural programme "Bagurumba Dwhou 2026" at Sarusajai Stadium in Guwahati.
It will be a historic cultural event celebrating the rich heritage of the Bodo community, the statement said.
On this occasion, more than 10,000 artists from the Bodo community will perform the Bagurumba dance in a single, synchronised presentation. Artists from 81 legislative assembly constituencies from across 23 districts of the state will take part in the event.
Bagurumba is one of the folk dances of the Bodo community, deeply inspired by nature. The dance symbolises blooming flowers and reflects harmony between human life and the natural world.
On January 18, around 11 am, Modi will perform bhoomi pujan for the Kaziranga elevated corridor project, worth over Rs 6,950 crore and will flag off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains at Kaliabor in Nagaon district.
The 86-km-long elevated corridor project is an environmentally conscious national highway project. It will feature 35 km of elevated wildlife corridor that will pass through the Kaziranga National Park, 21 km of bypass section and 30 km of widening of the existing highway section of NH-715 from two to four lanes.
The project aims to improve regional connectivity while ensuring protection of the park's rich biodiversity.
The project will pass through Nagaon, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat districts and will significantly improve connectivity to Upper Assam, particularly Dibrugarh and Tinsukia.
The elevated wildlife corridor will ensure the uninterrupted movement of animals and reduce human-wildlife conflict. It will also enhance road safety, reduce travel time and accident rates, and support growing passenger and freight traffic.
As part of the project, bypasses will be developed at Jakhalabandha and Bokakhat that will help to decongest towns, improve urban mobility and enhance the quality of life for local residents.
During the programme, Prime Minister Modi will also flag off two New Amrit Bharat Express trains -- Guwahati (Kamakhya)-Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express and Dibrugarh-Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) Amrit Bharat Express.
These new train services will strengthen rail connectivity between the northeast and northern India, enabling safer and more convenient travel for the people.
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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".
