In Pics: PM Modi inaugurates Rudraksha Convention Centre in Varanasi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated several development projects in his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi. The International Cooperation and Convention Centre, “Rudraksha,” is one of them, constructed as a symbol of India-Japan friendship.

“Built in a shape of ‘Shivlinga’ this world class auditorium has advance light and sound systems and 1,200 seating capacity where mega literary, cultural events including music concerts, exhibition and conventions will be hosted,” said Smart City Varanasi Limited chairman and divisional commissioner, Deepak Agrawal.

“Rudraksh has a modern shine and cultural aura. This project portrays India-Japan ties and scope for future opportunities. Today, with the efforts of both countries, a new chapter has been written on development and bilateral relations,” PM Modi was quoted by ANI as saying.

According to reports, the state-of-the-art centre, constructed with Japanese assistance will make Varanasi an attractive destination for conferences, thus drawing more tourists and businesspersons to the city. As many as 108 Rudraksha have been installed at the convention centre. The entire building will glow with LED lights at night. The centre will be an environment-friendly building, fit for level 3 of Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).

The two-storey convention centre has been built in Sigra area, also popular as the heart of the city among locals, on 2.87 hectares of land. Officials said the project aims to provide opportunities for social and cultural interactions between people. This is expected to strengthen the city’s competitiveness by developing its tourism sector even further.

Along with Rudraksha, the PM also inaugurated various other public projects and works, including a 100-bed MCH wing in the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), multi-level parking at Godowlia, Ro-Ro vessels for tourism development on river Ganga and a three-lane flyover bridge on the Varanasi-Ghazipur highway.

Manduadih railway station renamed as “Banaras”

In addition to the development projects inaugurated by Narendra Modi, the Manduadih railway station has now been renamed as “Banaras” by the North eastern railways (NER). The NER replaced the old signboard with the new one which reads ‘Banaras’ in four different languages, Hindi, Sanskrit, English and Urdu. This came after the Railway Board gave its nod for the new name.

The code for the station with the new identity will now be ‘BSBS,’ starting from 12am today and will be reflected on all the tickets booked.