Gaya/New Delhi , August 22(HS):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarks on a high-voltage tour of Bihar and West Bengal today, unveiling infrastructure and connectivity projects worth more than ₹18,000 crore ($2.3 billion). From bridges across the Ganga to high-speed metro corridors in Kolkata, the Prime Minister frames his visit as a defining push to “reshape eastern India’s future.”

Big Push for Bihar

At a public ceremony in Gaya, PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation of projects worth ₹13,000 crore spanning power, highways, health, urban development, and water supply.

The centrepiece is the 8.15 km Aunta–Simaria bridge project on NH-31, including a six-lane bridge over the Ganga, built at a cost of ₹1,870 crore. The bridge eliminates a detour of more than 100 kilometres for heavy vehicles and opens a seamless link between north and south Bihar.

“This bridge is not merely about steel and stone,” PM Modi declares. “It is about connecting dreams with destinations, pilgrims with Simaria Dham, and farmers with markets. It will cut travel time, spur trade, and give hope to countless families.”

Other highlights include:

--Buxar Thermal Power Plant (₹6,880 crore) – boosting Bihar’s electricity generation.

--Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital, Muzaffarpur – a cutting-edge oncology facility.

--Highway expansions, including the four-lane Bakhtiyarpur–Mokama section of NH-31 (₹1,900 crore).

--Urban infrastructure and water supply projects (₹1,260 crore) under Namami Gange and AMRUT 2.0.

--New Train Services – the Gaya–Delhi Amrit Bharat Express and the Buddhist Circuit train connecting Vaishali and Koderma.

He will also symbolically hand over keys to 16,000 new homeowners under PMAY, calling home ownership the foundation of dignity.

Modernising Kolkata’s Lifelines

PM Modi will arrive in Kolkata in the afternoon to launch ₹5,200 crore worth of projects, centered around metro and road connectivity.

At Jessore Road Metro Station, he flags off a 13.61 km stretch of newly built metro services:

--Noapara–Jai Hind Bimanbandar line (connecting the airport),

--Sealdah–Esplanade line (cutting travel from 40 minutes to 11),

--Beleghata–Hemanta Mukhopadhyay line (linking the IT hub).

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate a subway at Howrah Metro Station and lays the foundation of the seven-kilometre elevated Kona Expressway (₹1,200 crore), promising faster trade and economic integration.

Political Undertone

His Bengal visit comes amid rising tensions over alleged harassment of Bengali-speaking migrants in BJP-ruled states, and a row over new legislation on public officials’ accountability. CM Mamata Banerjee will skip the function, terming the Centre’s style of governance “autocratic.”

But from Dum Dum, PM Modi takes direct aim:

I am eager to be among @BJP4Bengal Karyakartas at a rally in Kolkata. With each passing day, public anger against the TMC is increasing. West Bengal is eagerly looking towards the BJP with hope because of our development agenda, PM Narendra Modi posted on X.

In another post, the Prime Minister said, It is always a delight to be among the people of Kolkata, a city whose development we are greatly committed to. Tomorrow's programmes in the city are mainly focused on connectivity. The metro services, which will be flagged off, include Noapara-Jai Hind Bimanbandar, Sealdah-Esplanade and Beleghata-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay routes. Connectivity to and from the airport as well as the IT hub areas will be enhanced.

Takeaway:PM Modi’s day-long tour blends infrastructure boosterism with sharp political messaging — positioning highways, metros, bridges, and power plants as both symbols of progress and instruments in the BJP’s fight to expand its footprint in eastern India.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar