PM Modi to visit Kolkata on January 11-12; time of arrival rescheduled in view of protests

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in Kolkata, West Bengal, on January 11-12 (Saturday-Sunday) as part of a two-day official visit, where he will be inaugurating refurbished heritage buildings and participating in sesquicentenary celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT).

A Press Information Bureau (PIB) release detailed PM Modi's schedule in Kolkata for the two days. After landing at the Kolkata Airport on January 11, the Prime Minister will proceed to the Old Currency Building in Dalhousie at 4 PM, following which he will visit the Millenium Park to inaugurate the new 'light and sound' system for Howrah Bridge. From there he will go to Belur Math to attend an event.

According to the schedule, on January 11, the Prime Minister will be inaugurating four refurbished heritage buildings - Old Currency Building, the Belvedere House, the Metcalfe House, and the Victoria Memorial Hall.

On January 11-12, PM Modi is also scheduled to participate in the sesquicentenary (150th anniversary) celebrations of the Kolkata Port Trust. He will also be inaugurating a number of projects at the event, including an upgraded Ship Repair Facility of Cochin Kolkata Ship Repair Unit at Netaji Subhas Dry Dock, and the Full Rake Handling Facility at the KoPT for smooth cargo movement and improving turnaround time.

There is tension regarding PM Modi's arrival in Kolkata, especially because the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government has been vocal about being against the central government's citizenship policies. Independent demonstrators and activists in the city and around Bengal have also been conducting anti-CAA-NRC protests across the state, and hence some modicum of opposition to the Prime Minister's visit is expected.

In view of these issues, the timing of the Prime Minister's arrival has been rescheduled. Earlier, it had been said that Modi's fight will be landing at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Dum Dum at 5 PM on January 11, following which the Prime Minister would proceed to enter the city via road. However, the timing was later changed and it was decided that Modi will instead arrive at 3:30 - 4 PM and proceed to the Race Course on air via a helicopter. This was arranged so that the Prime Minister's Special Protection Group (SPG) security cover has fewer security concerns to deal with.