PM to begin South visit after recent win, will inaugurate airport terminal

In his first visit down South since the BJP swept the key heartland states of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in the assembly elections in November, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the new terminal building at Tiruchirappalli International Airport in Tamil Nadu on Tuesday.

While BJP banners dotted roads ahead of PM Modi's arrival, proper arrangements were made to accord him a rousing reception on his touchdown in Trichy on Tuesday.

Apart from preparations for a grand welcome, elaborate security deployment has also been made in the area ahead of PM Modi's visit.

The new terminal building has been developed at a cost of more than Rs 1100 crore. The two-level new international terminal has the capacity to serve more than 44 lakh passengers annually and about 3,500 during peak hours, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) informed earlier through an official release.

"The new terminal hosts state-of-the-art amenities and features for passenger convenience," read the PMO statement on Monday.

Tiruchirappalli International Airport is the second-largest airport in terms of international passenger traffic after Chennai in Tamil Nadu.

The new terminal building contains 60 check-in counters, 5 Baggage Carousels, 60 Arrival Immigration Counters, and 44 departure emigration counters, the release stated.

The design of the new terminal building has been inspired by the cultural vibrancy of Tiruchirappalli. It would depict art forms from Kolam art to the colours of Srirangam Temple and other theme artworks depicting the connection of India to the rest of the world through its dynamic external facade and splendid interiors, according to the PMO release.

"We have done a lot of painting work (on the new terminal) and have installed murals. A total of 100 artists were employed in furnishing the new terminal with artworks and the murals were installed within a span of 30 days," Rajavignesh, the creative director for the artworks in the terminal building, told ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Kerala over two days, on January 2 and 3.