Prime Minister to Visit Kerala and Tamil Nadu on March 11 for Multiple Development Projects

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will undertake a visit to Kerala and Tamil Nadu on March 11, 2026, to inaugurate and lay the foundation for several major development projects.

Kerala: Ernakulam

Around 1:30 PM, the Prime Minister will inaugurate projects worth approximately ₹10,800 crore in Ernakulam, Kerala. These projects span various sectors, including petroleum and natural gas infrastructure, rural connectivity, highway development, and railway services. During the event, he will also address a public gathering.

Key highlights include:

• Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), Kochi Refinery: Laying the foundation stone for a polypropylene unit with an investment exceeding ₹5,500 crore. The plant, with a capacity of 400,000 tons per year, will produce polypropylene for packaging, automotive components, medical devices, textiles, and household products. This will strengthen India’s domestic polymer production, reduce import dependence, boost industrial development, and create employment opportunities in the region.

• Highway projects:

  1. NH-66, Thalapady-Chengala section: Six-lane construction at a cost of over ₹2,650 crore. Part of the Mumbai-Kanyakumari economic corridor, this project improves connectivity between Kasaragod, Kannur, Mangaluru, and surrounding areas while supporting tourism and trade.

  2. Kozhikode Bypass, Vengalam to Ramnattukara: Six-lane construction costing ₹2,140 crore, converting an existing two-lane road into a six-lane highway with service roads. Travel time on this route is expected to reduce from one hour to 15–20 minutes, enhancing connectivity to Kozhikode Beach, Beypore Port, and Kappad Beach.

• Rural connectivity: Inauguration of 23 rural roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), improving access to markets, education, healthcare, and employment for rural communities.

• Railways: Opening of three redeveloped railway stations—Shoranur Junction, Kuttiyapuram, and Changanassery—with modern facilities. Electrification of the Shoranur–Nilambur Road line will enhance efficiency by eliminating the need for locomotive changes. A new train service between Palakkad and Pollachi will also be flagged off, strengthening rail links between Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• Renewable energy: Laying the foundation for a 50 MW floating solar project in West Kallada, Kollam district, contributing to India’s clean energy targets and sustainable development goals.

Tamil Nadu: Tiruchirappalli

Around 5:45 PM, the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation for development projects worth approximately ₹5,650 crore in Tiruchirappalli, Tamil Nadu, covering petroleum and natural gas infrastructure, lubricant production, rural roads, highway expansion, and railway services.

Key initiatives include:

• City Gas Distribution: Laying the foundation stone for BPCL’s City Gas Distribution network in Nilgiris and Erode districts, with an investment exceeding ₹3,680 crore. This project will provide PNG connections to over 880,000 households, supply gas to more than 200 commercial establishments, and establish over 201 CNG stations.

• Lubricant production: Dedication of Indian Oil Corporation’s 672,000 metric tons per year lube blending plant in Manali, Chennai, with an investment of ₹1,490 crore, enhancing India’s lubricant production capacity.

• Rural roads: Inauguration of 89 rural roads spanning 370 km under PMGSY, improving access to schools, markets, and healthcare facilities.

• Highways: Laying the foundation stone for the greenfield bypass near Gangaikonda Cholapuram on NH-81.

• Railways: Flagging off two Amrit Bharat Express trains, two express trains, and one passenger train service, enhancing connectivity across Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala, and eastern India.

These projects aim to boost regional economic development, improve transport and energy infrastructure, and create employment opportunities in both states.