PM Modi on Telangana and Tamil Nadu tour today: Airport, railway station, Vande Bharat and AIIMS will be gifted

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to visit Telangana capital Hyderabad and Tamil Nadu capital Chennai on Saturday. During this, PM Modi is going to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of several development projects worth more than 13,500 crores. Apart from this, he will also address a huge public meeting. Ahead of PM Narendra Modi's visit to Hyderabad, BJP has put up posters to give a grand welcome to the Prime Minister in the city. It is seen as key infrastructure and connectivity for the southern states, especially Karnataka and Telangana - which are going to go to polls soon. Security has been beefed up in both cities in view of the Prime Minister's visit.

In Telangana, PM Modi will lay the foundation stone of several projects including AIIMS Bibinagar besides flagging off the Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express in Hyderabad today. AIIMS Bibinagar is being developed at a cost of over Rs 1,350 crore. The Secunderabad-Tirupati Vande Bharat Express, which connects Hyderabad to the abode of Lord Venkateswara, Tirupati, is the second Vande Bharat train to be launched from Telangana within a short span of three months. The train will reduce the travel time between the two cities by about three and a half hours and will be especially beneficial for the pilgrims.

During the visit, Modi will flag off 13 new Multi-Modal Transport Service (MMTS) services in the suburban section of the Hyderabad-Secunderabad twin city region, providing faster and more convenient travel options to commuters. He will also inaugurate the doubling and electrification of the Secunderabad-Mahbubnagar project. The project covering a distance of over 85 km has been completed at a cost of approximately Rs 1,410 crore.

Hyderabad Traffic Police has issued a traffic advisory to be followed during the PM's visit. A poster war between BJP and the ruling BRS is being seen in Hyderabad ahead of the PM's visit. As per reports, the BRS has put up huge posters with pictures of BJP leaders whose fathers or other relatives were also in politics in Secunderabad, taking a dig at Modi's recent comments about the 'familyism' of dynastic politics.

PM Modi will arrive in Chennai on Saturday where he will inaugurate the state-of-the-art Integrated Terminal Building at Chennai Airport built at a total cost of Rs 2,437 crore. The new terminal, the first phase of which has been completed. It is expected to increase the number of passengers per year to 35 million. The terminal is equipped with 108 immigration counters which are evenly divided between the arrivals and departures areas.

Modi will flag off the Vande Bharat train between Chennai and Coimbatore from Purchi Thalaivar Dr. MGR Central Railway Station. Later, Modi will participate in the 125th-anniversary celebrations of the Ramakrishna Math at Vivekananda Illam. Security has been beefed up across the city and motorists have been asked to plan ahead for traffic diversions.

On Sunday, he will also visit Theppakadu Elephant Camp in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and interact with mahouts. He will also meet Bomman and Bailey, the star couple of the Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whispers, at Theppakadu.