PM Modi in Bengaluru today: Pink Line metro, projects worth ₹15,600 crore to be launched

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Bengaluru on Friday to inaugurate the elevated section of Namma Metro’s Pink Line and launch a series of infrastructure and development projects worth more than ₹15,600 crore across Karnataka. The programme also includes the flag-off of a Vande Bharat Express connecting Bengaluru with Coastal Karnataka and Goa.

The projects span urban mobility, renewable energy, power transmission, petroleum infrastructure, waste management and railways, according to a release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

According to the release, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the Pink Line stretch between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere, developed at a cost of around ₹3,470 crore. The new section is expected to improve connectivity across Bengaluru, reduce commuting time and strengthen the city's public transport network.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate two major renewable energy transmission projects. The Koppal-II and Gadag-II transmission scheme, developed at an investment of around ₹4,450 crore, will facilitate the evacuation of approximately 2 GW of renewable energy from the region. Another project in Bidar, built at a cost of around ₹1,370 crore, will enable the evacuation of 2.5 GW of solar power.

Modi will lay the foundation stone for two additional transmission projects aimed at integrating renewable energy potential in Davanagere, Chitradurga and Ballari. These projects involve investments of more than ₹3,450 crore and ₹1,100 crore, respectively.

PM to launch LPG storage, rail connectivity projects

Among the petroleum infrastructure projects, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation India's largest underground LPG storage cavern in Mangaluru. Built at a cost of more than ₹850 crore, the facility has a storage capacity of 80,000 metric tonnes. It also includes a 9.4-km pipeline connecting New Mangalore Port to the main terminal.

He will also dedicate MRPL's Devangonthi Marketing Terminal, developed at an investment of ₹330 crore, to strengthen petroleum product storage and distribution in Karnataka.

In the waste management sector, Modi will lay the foundation stone for GAIL's compressed biogas plant at Haralakunte in Bengaluru. The facility will process around 300 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily to produce 12.6 tonnes of compressed biogas.

Railway infrastructure will also feature prominently in the programme. The Prime Minister will inaugurate four redeveloped stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme — Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road.

He will also dedicate the 45-km Bagalkot-Wandal railway line doubling section and the electrification of the 55-km Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat section. The latter completes the electrification of the Bengaluru-Mangaluru rail route.

The Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express will be flagged off during the visit. The service will connect destinations including Hassan, Sakleshpur, Mangaluru, Udupi, Murdeshwar, Gokarna and Karwar before reaching Madgaon in Goa.

To inaugurate Mysuru planetarium

Modi will also inaugurate COSMOS-Mysuru Planetarium at the University of Mysore campus, at the foothills of Chamundi Hills. Developed by the Indian Institute of Astrophysics, it is India's first LED dome planetarium.

The facility features a 15-metre tilted dome with around 6,150 panels and 4.2 crore individual LEDs. Its sky theatre will offer astronomy programmes in Kannada, English and Hindi, alongside exhibitions, a museum and training facilities.

Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister also participated in the Golden Jubilee celebrations of Prashanti Kutiram, the headquarters campus of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (S-VYASA). The celebrations, themed ‘Towards Viksit Bharat 2047’, mark 50 years of the institution, established in 1975.