Immediately after returning from his visit to the UK and Maldives, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone, inaugurate, and dedicate to the nation various development projects worth over ₹4,800 crore at a public event in Tuticorin, Tamil Nadu, at around 8 PM on July 26.
On July 27, the Prime Minister will participate in the celebration of the birth anniversary of the great Chola emperor Rajendra Chola I, coinciding with the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival, at approximately 12 noon at the Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu.
According to an official release, after completing his state visit to the Maldives, the Prime Minister will directly reach Tuticorin and inaugurate and dedicate a series of landmark projects across multiple sectors. These are expected to significantly enhance regional connectivity, boost logistics efficiency, strengthen clean energy infrastructure, and improve the quality of life for citizens across Tamil Nadu.
In line with his commitment to developing world-class air infrastructure and enhancing connectivity, the Prime Minister will inaugurate the New Terminal Building at Tuticorin Airport, developed at a cost of approximately ₹450 crore, designed to meet the growing aviation demands of the southern region. He will also undertake a walkthrough of the new terminal building.
Spread across 17,340 square meters, the terminal will be equipped to handle 1,350 passengers during peak hours and 20 lakh passengers annually, with future expansion capacity up to 1,800 peak hour passengers and 25 lakh passengers annually. With 100% LED lighting, energy-efficient electrical and mechanical systems, and treated water reuse through an on-site Sewage Treatment Plant, the terminal has been built to achieve a GRIHA-4 sustainability rating. This infrastructure is expected to significantly enhance regional air connectivity and stimulate tourism, trade, and investment in southern Tamil Nadu.
In the road infrastructure sector, the Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation two strategically significant highway projects. The first is the four-laning of the 50 km Sethiyathope–Cholapuram stretch of NH-36, developed at a cost of more than ₹2,350 crore under the Vikravandi–Thanjavur corridor.
It includes three bypasses, a one-kilometre four-lane bridge over the Kollidam River, four major bridges, seven flyovers, and several underpasses, reducing travel time by 45 minutes between Sethiyathope and Cholapuram, and boosting connectivity to the Delta region’s cultural and agricultural hubs.
The second project is the six-laning of the 5.16 km NH-138 Tuticorin Port Road, built at a cost of around ₹200 crore. Featuring underpasses and bridges, it will ease cargo flow, cut logistics costs, and support port-led industrial growth around V.O. Chidambaranar Port.
In a major boost to port infrastructure and clean energy initiatives, the Prime Minister will inaugurate North Cargo Berth-III, with a cargo handling capacity of 6.96 MMTPA at VO Chidambaranar Port, worth around ₹285 crore. This will help meet the growing demand for dry bulk cargo handling and improve overall port efficiency.
The Prime Minister will also dedicate three key railway infrastructure projects in southern Tamil Nadu. The electrification of the 90 km Madurai–Bodinayakkanur line will promote eco-friendly transport and support tourism in Madurai and Theni. The ₹650 crore doubling of the 21 km Nagercoil Town–Kanniyakumari section, part of the Thiruvananthapuram–Kanniyakumari project, will strengthen links between Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
Additionally, the doubling of the Aralvaymozhi–Nagercoil Junction (12.87 km) and Tirunelveli–Melappalayam (3.6 km) sections will reduce travel time on major southern routes, such as the Chennai–Kanyakumari route, and enhance regional economic integration.
Further strengthening the state’s power infrastructure, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for a major transmission project – the Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) for evacuation of electricity from Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Units 3 and 4 (2×1000 MW). Developed at a cost of around ₹550 crore, it includes a 400 kV (quad) double-circuit transmission line from Kudankulam to the Tuticorin-II GIS substation and associated terminal equipment. It will play a key role in strengthening the national grid and supporting clean energy distribution.
To honour one of India’s greatest emperors, the Prime Minister will also release a commemorative coin for Rajendra Chola I during the public event at Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple, as part of the Aadi Thiruvathirai Festival.
This event marks 1,000 years since Rajendra Chola I’s legendary maritime expedition to Southeast Asia and the start of the iconic Gangaikonda Cholapuram Temple’s construction a marvel of Chola architecture.
Rajendra Chola I (1014–1044 CE) expanded the Chola Empire across South and Southeast Asia. He established Gangaikonda Cholapuram as the imperial capital after his victorious campaigns. The temple became a beacon of Shaiva devotion, monumental design, and administrative legacy for over 250 years.
Today, the temple is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famed for its sculptures, Chola bronzes, and inscriptions. The Aadi Thiruvathirai festival also celebrates the Tamil Shaiva Bhakti tradition, championed by the Cholas and immortalised by the 63 Nayanmars. The festival is all the more significant this year as Rajendra Chola’s birth star, Thiruvathirai (Ardra), begins on July 23.
(With inputs from ANI)
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