Stage set for Modi’s Odisha visit

BHUBANESWAR: The stage is set for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Odisha to inaugurate the 15 MMTPA oil refinery of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL) at the port town of Paradip on Sunday.
Modi will also inaugurate the new campus of National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), on the outskirts of state capital Bhubaneswar.

Modi is scheduled to arrive on Saturday night and will stay at the Raj Bhawan here. He will inaugurate the two projects on Sunday. He will also visit the Jagannath temple in Puri.

The foundation stone for Paradip refinery was laid by the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in May 2000, and Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the refinery established at a cost of Rs. 34,555 crore, the largest investment in a single project in India in recent years.

Director General of Police (DGP) KB Singh reviewed the security arrangements at the meeting venue of IOCL project.

“I have reviewed the security arrangements in and around the venue. A turnout of approximately 1 lakh is expected. Given the security concerns, we have made elaborate arrangements,” said Singh.

He said the meeting place had been divided into various sectors with special arrangements for women and children.

The Prime Minister will return to Visakhapatnam after inaugurating the Paradip refinery and addressing a rally in the port town.

A host of other dignitaries, including Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, will share the dais with Modi during the inauguration of the refinery at Paradip.