PM Modi to visit Manipur tomorrow, to unveil Rs 8,500 cr projects

Billboards and banners welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi are installed across Manipur's capital, Imphal, on Friday (September 12).

On his first visit to Manipur since ethnic violence broke out 29 months ago, PM Modi’s engagements will reportedly be confined to the Meitei-dominated Imphal valley and Churachandpur, the Kuki stronghold in the hills.

Also Read: PM Modi’s visit to Manipur comes amid a minefield of challenges

Traffic restrictions

More than two years after ethnic violence erupted in the state, the Prime Minister is scheduled to visit Manipur on Saturday (September 13) to inaugurate and lay the foundation for projects worth Rs 8,500 crore, officials said.

A grand gate, over 20 feet long and inscribed with "Welcome Shri Narendra Modi ji," has been erected near the BJP’s state headquarters. It has been positioned on the route that the Prime Minister is expected to take from the Imphal airport to Kangla Fort.

Traffic restrictions will be enforced along the Prime Minister’s route ahead of his visit. The Churachandpur administration has also issued a public advisory urging residents not to bring children under the age of 12 to Modi’s rally.

Also Read: Is Manipur back to 'normal' ahead of PM Modi's visit?

PM to launch Rs 8,500 cr projects

Billboards informing the laying of foundation stones for projects worth Rs 7,300 crore and the inauguration of projects worth Rs 1,200 crore have also been placed in Sanjenthong and near the Nupi Lan complex.

Modi is expected to address a public gathering at Kangla Fort. Along the seven-km stretch from Imphal airport to the fort, temporary wooden barricades have been installed along pavements, while workers have been deployed to clean and repaint road medians ahead of the prime minister's visit.

The Opposition has criticised the Prime Minister for not visiting the north-eastern state earlier, where clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May 2023 have left more than 260 people dead and thousands displaced.

(With agency inputs)