Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Odisha and Kerala on Tuesday on brief visits to inaugurate various development projects and also address BJP rallies as the party prepares for Lok Sabha polls. The BJP has heightened efforts to make inroads in both states in recent years. Modi is first scheduled to visit Odisha, where he will arrive in the morning. Modi will be visiting Balangir district in Western Odisha, where he will dedicate a multi-modal logistics park (MMLP) in Jharsuguda and a new railway line between Balangir and Bichupali around 10am. Modi is then scheduled to address a rally in Balangir's Patharchepa ground by 11am. Interestingly, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will not be attending Modi's official programmes as he has alternate events scheduled. Patnaik is scheduled to address a farmers' meeting during the time of Modi's visit. A minister in the state government is expected to be deputed to attend Modi's official programme. During an earlier visit of Modi to Baripada on January 5, Patnaik was absent. Patnaik's decision to abstain from attending Modi's programmes has given risen to speculation he wants to appear equidistant from both the BJP and Congress. Modi will arrive in Thiruvananthapuram after his visit to Odisha. He is scheduled to fly by helicopter to Kollam district after 5pm to inaugurate the Kollam bypass, built at a cost of nearly Rs 352 crore. The bypass is 13km long and is expected to reduce travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan is expected to be present at the event. Modi is then scheduled to address a rally of BJP workers in Kollam. BJP workers from Mavelikara, Kollam and Alappuzha are expected to attend the rally. Later in the evening, Modi is scheduled to pray at the revered Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram. Modi's visit comes in the wake of months of protest by the BJP and groups affiliated to the RSS against the Supreme Court decision on allowing entry of women of all ages to the Sabarimala temple.<doc-sep>Prime Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel and state BJP leaders at the Raipur airport after he made a brief stopover en route to Odisha. The prime minister arrived at the Swami Vivekanand Airport here at around 8:40 am by a special aircraft and stayed for a couple of minutes before leaving for Balangir in neighbouring Odisha, a government public relation official here said. Baghel, former chief minister Raman Singh, senior BJP leaders and officials welcomed Modi at the airport, he said. The PM left for Balangir at around 8:45 am on board an Indian Air Force helicopter, he added. "It was a warm meeting with the PM. He congratulated me," Baghel told reporters later. It is the first time Baghel is meeting the PM since he led the to a landslide victory in Chhattisgarh in the Assembly polls held in November. On the way back, PM Modi will arrive at the Raipur airport in the afternoon and after about a 5-minute break, he will leave for Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, the official said.<doc-sep>A thousand trees have been cut ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Odisha on Tuesday, leading to three government departments shifting blame on to one another, reported The Indian Express. The trees were cleared to make space for a temporary helipad in Balangir for the Prime Minister’s use. Narendra Modi will be flagging off the inaugural run of a train on the Khurda-Balangir railway line from Balangir station. Balangir Divisional Forest Officer Sameer Satpathy told reporters on Sunday that the trees had been cut without obtaining permission from the forest department. “When our staff tried to stop the cutting of trees, the site in-charge said that there had been strict instructions from higher authorities to make space for the helipad,” Satpathy was quoted as saying by Odisha TV. He valued the trees at Rs 2.5 lakh. A spokesperson for the East Coast Railways said that the Railways merely owned the land, but it was the Public Works Department that had carried out the work. PWD personnel claimed they had “no idea” who had cut the trees. The trees in question had been planted under an urban plantation programme in 2.25 hectares of Railways land, of which 1.5 hectares of land was cleared. There was no vacant space for the Prime Minister’s helicopter to land, Balangir Superintendent of Police K Siva Subramani was quoted as saying by The Hindu. The Indian Express reported that the Odisha government was criticised for attempting to clear land to set up a brewery in Dhenkanal in November. Local women had clashed with the police and the local administration after hundreds of trees had been cut down at the time.<doc-sep>Naveen Patnaik was not part of PM Modi's event even during his last visit on January 5. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will not attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official programme during his visit to the state on Tuesday. Official sources said he will be occupied with state government programmes. During his visit to Odisha, PM Modi is scheduled to launch several projects on Infrastructure development, Connectivity and Ease of Doing Business. PM Modi will also inaugurate a new railway line. He is expected to speak at a rally later. Naveen Patnaik will not be part of any of the events. Sources in the chief minister's office said one minister may be deputed to attend the Prime Minister's official programme. He was not a part of PM Modi's event even during his last visit on January 5. Ahead of the general elections, both the leaders have been attacking each other's government, though PM Modi did not name BJD or Naveen Patnaik in his speeches, Congress has alleged that PM Modi has maintained a soft stance towards Naveen Patnaik and his party, particularly after BJP''s defeat in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattishgarh. Sources in the ruling BJD said Naveen Patnaik prefers not to be seen with the Prime Minister at this juncture since the party has been maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress.<doc-sep>
Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik will not attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official programme during his one-day tour to the state Tuesday as he would be busy in state government programmes, official sources said. Bhubaneswar: Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik will not attend Prime Minister Narendra Modi's official programme during his one-day tour to the state Tuesday as he would be busy in state government programmes, official sources said. The prime minister, during his visit to Bolangir in Western Odisha, is scheduled to launch several projects on infrastructure development, connectivity and ease of doing business. Modi will also dedicate Multi-Modal Logistics Park (MMLP) in Jharsuguda and new railway line to be inaugurated between Balangir and Bichupali. After attending the official programme, Modi is expected to address a public rally at Patharachepa ground in Bolangir at 11.45 am. However, Patnaik will not be able to attend such function as he will remain busy at the state government's "Krushi Odisha" programme. Patnaik will address farmers at the meeting. Both the prime minister and the chief minister are scheduled to attend programmes in different areas of the state at 11 am. However, sources in the chief minister's office said, one minister may be deputed to attend the prime minister's official programme. Last time, when Modi visited Baripada in North Odisha on 5 January, Patnaik was not present there as he was attending an official programme at Puri. Odisha'a Steel and Mines Minister Prafulla Mallick represented the state at the function. However, the chief minister had attended the official function of Modi when he came to Khurda near Bhubaneswar on 24 December. Ahead of the general elections, both leaders have been attacking each other's government, though Modi did not take the name of ruling BJD or Patnaik in his speeches at those programmes. Modi, however, on his public meetings at Jharsuguda and Talcher on 22 September, 2018, had criticised Patnaik and his government. The Opposition Congress has alleged that Modi has been maintaining soft attitude towards Patnaik and his party particularly because of the BJP's defeat in three states of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattishgarh. Sources in the ruling BJD said Patnaik prefers not to be seen with the prime minister at this juncture as the regional outfit has been maintaining equal distance from both the BJP and the Congress.