Make Modi’s road show a memorable one, says Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambarish

Mandya: Union Parliamentary Affairs and Coal & Mines Minister Prahlad Joshi inspected the arrangements to be made for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Gejjalagere on Mar. 12 where he is dedicating the 10-lane Access-Controlled Expressway between Mysuru and Bengaluru to the nation.

The PM will also perform the ground-breaking ceremony for the greenfield four-lane highway project between Mysuru and Kushalnagar to be developed at a cost of Rs. 3,560 crore. The Prime Minister is expected to arrive in Mandya on Mar. 12 at 11 am and his itinerary has not yet been finalised.

The PM’s public meeting is scheduled to be held near a vast open ground near Gejjalagere Colony and a giant stage will be built.

Speaking to reporters after inspection, Pralhad Joshi said that one lakh people will attend the launch event at Gejjalagere and the party is planning to hold a road show where over 40,000 people are expected to attend. “The road show has not yet been finalised as the Special Protection Group (SPG) that protects the Prime Minister will have to visit the place and then finalise as per the protocols,” he said.

Pralhad Joshi was accompanied by Minister for Sericulture K.C. Narayanagowda, Minister for Excise K. Gopalaiah, Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha, Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambarish, Deputy Commissioner Gopalakrishna, SP Yathish and other officers.

Gejjalagere is located on the Mandya-Maddur border and falls in between Mysuru and Bengaluru where the BJP is trying to make inroads into the Vokkaliga heartland, at present a JD(S) stronghold, keeping the plank of development.

Though the modalities of the road show are subject to approval from the SPG, plans are afoot to gather a huge crowd and make it a memorable one. While Pratap Simha said that the Centre was committed to the overall development of Mandya with a slew of infrastructure and drinking water projects, Sumalatha Ambarish termed the PM’s visit as a memorable one. “We must make the road show a huge success and make India look back at Mandya,” she said.

Joshi said that the BJP was laying emphasis on infrastructure development and the reduction in commuting time between Bengaluru and Mysuru from nearly 3 hours to about 75 to 90 minutes. “The world-class Expressway is the testimony of our vision and speed of project implementation,” he said.

He said that Prime Minister Modi was keen on reducing the logistic cost from about 12 percent of the GDP at present to 7 or 8 percent of the GDP by 2030. “Logistics costs can be reduced by saving time through better connectivity, including roadways, airways waterways and railways. This is the reason why the BJP is creating world-class infrastructure projects. In the 2023-24 budget, Rs. 10 lakh crore has been earmarked for infra development,” he noted.

“At present both the logistic cost and the turnover time in India is among the highest in the world and a reduction in logistic cost will make India more competitive,” the Union Minister added.