Surat, June 5 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth around Rs 18,800 crore in Surat, marking one of the largest infrastructure investment programmes undertaken in the city in recent years. The projects span key sectors including transport connectivity, industrial infrastructure, power distribution, healthcare, and urban development, aimed at strengthening Surat’s role as a major economic and industrial hub in Gujarat.

According to official details released by the Prime Minister’s Office, the Prime Minister dedicated to the nation key packages of the eight-lane access-controlled Vadodara-Mumbai Expressway, which are expected to significantly improve high-speed connectivity between Gujarat and Maharashtra and enhance logistics efficiency across western India. He also laid the foundation stone for the four-laning of critical sections of National Highway-56, a project designed to improve road connectivity across tribal regions and enhance access towards the Statue of Unity corridor.

In the industrial and utilities segment, the Prime Minister inaugurated and dedicated multiple infrastructure projects, including power transmission expansion systems aimed at strengthening Gujarat’s inter-state electricity evacuation capacity under national grid improvements. Healthcare infrastructure in Surat also received a major boost with the inauguration of a 200-bed Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital.

The facility is designed to provide secondary healthcare services, including emergency and trauma care, diagnostic support and specialised treatment services for workers and their families. The Prime Minister also reviewed and launched several industrial and urban infrastructure initiatives in the Surat region, including developments linked to petroleum, chemicals, petrochemical investment regions and industrial estates, aimed at improving operational efficiency and environmental compliance systems.

During the visit, Prime Minister Modi also undertook a review of ongoing industrial operations at Hazira in Surat district, a key industrial and defence manufacturing hub that hosts large-scale engineering and production facilities. Hazira has emerged as a strategic industrial zone in India’s manufacturing ecosystem, particularly in heavy engineering and defence production, and has been a focal point of recent infrastructure expansion and industrial capacity upgrades.

The visit forms part of a broader Gujarat and Union Territory tour that also includes development programmes in Daman and Lakshadweep-linked infrastructure projects, with total investment commitments across regions exceeding Rs 20,000 crore. The Surat projects are expected to contribute to long-term improvements in urban mobility, industrial output, power reliability, and healthcare access, reinforcing the city’s position as a key node in India’s western economic corridor.

--IANS