PM’s address at ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit West Bengal’ programme in Siliguri
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 09 Mar, 2024

The Governor of West Bengal, Shri C.V. Ananda Bose ji, my colleagues in the cabinet, Nisith Pramanik ji and John Barla ji, leader of the opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari ji, my colleagues in Parliament, Sukanta Majumdar ji, Kumari Debasree Chaudhuri ji, Khagen Murmu ji, Raju Bista ji, Dr. Jayanta Kumar Roy ji, MLAs, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. Coming to this land of natural beauty and renowned tea gardens in North Bengal is a delightful experience for me. Today, the inauguration and foundation laying ceremony of development projects worth billions of rupees have taken place here. This is another significant step towards ‘Viksit Bengal’. I extend my congratulations to the people of Bengal, especially the people of North Bengal, for these development initiatives. Friends, This region of North Bengal serves as the gateway to our Northeast, and it also connects trade routes with neighbouring countries. Therefore, the development of Bengal, particularly North Bengal, has been a priority for our government in the last 10 years. To accelerate the rapid development of North Bengal, it is essential to build 21st-century rail and road infrastructure in this region. With this vision in mind, electrification work of railway lines between Eklakhi to Balurghat, Siliguri to Aluabari, and Raninagar-Jalpaiguri-Haldibari has been completed today. This will increase the speed of trains in districts like Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Cooch Behar, and Jalpaiguri. The electrification of the Siliguri-Samuktala route will also help in reducing pollution in the surrounding forests and wildlife habitats. Today, the electrification of the Barsoi-Radhikapur section has also been completed, benefiting not only West Bengal but also the people of Bihar. A new train service has started between Radhikapur and Siliguri. This robust rail infrastructure in Bengal will pave the way for new development opportunities and improve the quality of life for ordinary people. Friends, There was a time when the speed of trains would slow down as they headed towards the Northeast. But our government’s effort is to increase the speed of trains in North Bengal as well, just as it is being increased throughout the country. Now, railway connectivity has been initiated from North Bengal to Bangladesh as well. The Mitali Express is running from New Jalpaiguri to Dhaka Cantonment. Collaborating with the government of Bangladesh, we are enhancing connectivity up to Radhikapur station. With the strengthening of this network, the economies of both countries will benefit, and tourism in the region will receive a significant boost. Friends, After independence, the development of Eastern India and its interests were often neglected for a long time. However, our government considers Eastern India as the growth engine of the country’s development. Therefore, unprecedented investments are being made in connectivity in this region. The average rail budget for Bengal, which was around 4,000 crore rupees before 2014, has now increased to nearly 14,000 crore rupees. Today, the semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express runs from North Bengal to Guwahati and Howrah. Siliguri station is also included under the Amrit Bharat station scheme, which aims to modernize more than 500 stations. In these 10 years, we have brought the rail development of Bengal and the Northeast from passenger to express speeds. In our third term, this will progress with super-fast speed. Friends, Today, more than 3,000 crore rupees worth of road projects have also been inaugurated in North Bengal. The commencement of the four-lane Ghoshpukur-Dhupguri section and the Islampur Bypass will benefit people in many districts. Urban areas like Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, and Maynaguri town will be relieved from traffic congestion. This will provide better road connectivity to Siliguri, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar districts in North Bengal, including the entire Northeast. This will make it easier to reach tourist destinations such as Dooars, Darjeeling, Gangtok, and Mirik. In other words, tourism will flourish, industries will grow, and tea farmers will also benefit in this entire region. Friends, The central government is making every possible effort for the development of West Bengal. Once again, I congratulate everyone on the development projects. Thank you very much. While one program is concluding here, my speech is not complete yet. My speech will continue, and therefore, from here, we will move to the open field. I will see you all there and speak freely. Thank you very much.