PM Modi to visit Rishikesh on Thursday: Uttarakhand CM Dhami

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Rishikesh on Thursday, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on Tuesday.

During his visit, the prime minister will inaugurate, among other projects, an oxygen plant in AIIMS-Rishikesh, he said, without elaborating on other projects.

Dhami also expressed happiness that the prime minister will be visiting Uttarakhand on a day when he completes 20 years of his service as a constitutional dignitary since he took oath as Gujarat chief minister in 2001.

Prime Minister Modi had been the chief minister of Gujarat for 13 years before becoming the Prime Minister of India.

Expressing his happiness over the PM's visit to Uttarakhand, Dhami had earlier told a TV news agency that the prime minister has a special attachment to the state, which has seen unprecedented progress under the present dispensation at the Centre.

"Prime Minister Modi is the world's tallest leader today. His coming to the 'land of gods' (devbhoomi) is a good sign. We had been waiting for this very moment," said Dhami, whose state will go to the polls next year.

Prime Minister Modi was also earlier reported to be visiting Kedarnath too on October 7. But Dhami refused to confirm the PM's reported programme to visit Kedarnath.

As of now, he is slated to visit Rishikesh only, he said.

Dhami, however, added that earlier during the day, he visited Kedarnath to supervise the ongoing reconstruction work and hoped that after the Uttarakhand High Court order, the 'chardham yatra' will be conducted more smoothly.

He told reporters that reconstruction works worth Rs 708 crore were in progress for the development of all four pilgrim centres Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.

The works are in their final stages, he said.