The Steel City is gearing up for a maiden visit of Narendra Modi as Prime Minister on April 1. Though the district administration says it has no information about the visit of the Prime Minister, the Rourkela Steel Plant (RSP) management is making hectic preparations to welcome Modi.
Even BJP leaders, including Union Minister Jual Oram and Rourkela MlA Dilip Ray, are holding preparatory meetings in different parts of the district to mobilise the people to come to the public meeting place of Modi at Rourkela on the day. Though official welcome hoardings by the RSP management are not yet displayed anywhere in the city but they were already seen being installed by BMS and other frontal organisations of BJP.
During his two and a half hours (probable) visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to dedicate the second phase modernisation of the RSP to the nation in which over Rs 12,000 crore has already been spent.
The steel plant has got a new coke-oven battery, a slab caster and a new plate mill. With this the plant’s production capacity is being upgraded from 2.2 million tonnes to 4.5 million tonnes per annum. Even though RSP officials could not confirm where the inaugural and dedication ceremony would take place as it would be finalised after the visit of the Union Steel Secretary and the SAIl Chairman but auxiliary works like cleaning and painting of Rourkela air strip premises, ring roads, plant premises and preparation of additional helipad in CISF barrack are in full swing. Everything regarding venue, date and time of the programme will be cleared once the SPG (special protection group) arrives in the city, said the Rourkela police source.
Besides dedicating the second phases of RSP modernisations to nation, Modi may laid foundation of Rourkela air strip expansion and declare the upgradation of IGH to a medical college because it was his poll commitment here, said sources. But it may be noted here that during his last visit to city, the Union Steel Minister had very categorically said that SAIl had no plan to have a medical college here on its own source.