New Delhi, Dec 1:Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Uttarakhand’s capital, Dehradun on December 4.

During his visit, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay foundation stone of multiple projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement here.

“A significant focus of the visit will be on projects to improve road infrastructure, which will make travel smoother and safer, and also increase tourism in the region. This is in line with the vision of the Prime Minister to boost connectivity in the areas, which were once considered far-flung,” it added.

The PM will lay the foundation stone of 11 development projects, including Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor (from Eastern Peripheral Expressway Junction to Dehradun), which will be built at a cost of around Rs 8,300 crore, the statement said, adding that it will significantly reduce the travel time from Delhi to Dehradun from six hours to around 2.5 hours.

“It will have Asia’s largest wildlife elevated corridor (12 km) for unrestricted wildlife movement. The Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor will also have arrangements for rain water harvesting at intervals of 500 m and over 400 water recharge points,” said the PMO.

In line with the PM’s vision to develop smart spiritual towns and upgrade tourism-related infrastructure, the foundation stone for infrastructure development works at Badrinath Dham and Gangotri-Yamunotri Dham will be laid, it added.

According to the PMO, a new Medical College in Haridwar will be constructed at a cost of over Rs 5,00 crore.

The PM will inaugurate seven projects, including those focusing on making travel safer by tackling the problem of chronic landslides in the region.

The projects include landslide mitigation project at Lambagad (en-route the Badrinath Dham), chronic landslide treatment at Sakanidhar in Srinagar and Devprayag on NH-58, it said.

The Lambagad landslide mitigation project in the chronic landslide zone includes construction of reinforced earthwall and rockfall barriers, it said and added that the location of the project further adds on to its strategic significance.

Among others, the PM will inaugurate the road widening project from Devprayag to Srikot, and from Brahmpuri to Kodiyala on NH-58, under the Chardham road connectivity project.

He will also inaugurate the 120 MW Vyasi Hydroelectric Project, built over River Yamuna at a cost of over Rs 1700 crore, along with the Himalayan Culture Centre at Dehradun, it added.

UNI