Edited by Deepali Verma
It is PM Modi’s first visit down South since the BJPhas swept the key heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in the assembly elections held in November. While in South, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the new terminal building at Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu on January 2.
BJP banners adorned the roads ahead of PM Modi’s arrival while proper arrangements were made to accord him a rousing reception on his touchdown in Trichy on January 2. Asides from the preparations for a grand welcome, elaborate security deployment has also been put in place ahead of PM Modi’s visit.
The development of the new terminal building has a cost of more than Rs 1100 crore. The new terminal comes with two-levels having the capacity to serve more than 44 lakh passengers annually and about 3,500 during peak hours, as per the official release from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
“The state-of-the-art new terminal hosts amenities and features for passenger convenience,” read the PMO statement onJanuary 1.
Tiruchirappalli International Airport stands as the second-largest airport in terms of international passenger traffic after Chennai in Tamil Nadu. The new terminal building is equipped with 60 check-in counters, 5 Baggage Carousels, 60 Arrival Immigration Counters, and 44 departure emigration counters, the release informed.
The cultural vibrancy of Tiruchirappalli has been a key inspiration in the designing of the new terminal building. It houses depictions of art forms from Kolam art to the colours of Srirangam Temple and other theme artworks depicting the connection of Bharat to the rest of the world via its dynamic external facade and splendid interiors, according to the PMO release.
“A lot of painting work has been done on the new terminal and murals have been installed. 100 artists were employed in furnishing the new terminal with artworks with the murals being installed within a span of 30 days,” Rajavignesh, the creative director for the artworks in the terminal building, told ANI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit also extended to Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Kerala over two days, on January 2 and 3.
