KOLLAM: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has dedicated the much awaited Kollam bypass to the nation. Modi who landed at the Air Force Technical area proceeded to Kollam in a helicopter. He inaugurated Kollam bypass at a function organised at the Asramam Maidan at 4.50 pm. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan presided over the function. Governor P Sathasivam, Ministers G Sudhakaran, Mercykutty Amma, P Raju, MLA Mukesh, MPs Suresh Gopi, N K Premachandran, V Muraleedharan and O Rajagopal MLA attended the function.

The Kollam bypass is a 13 km long 2 lane bypass, with a project cost of Rs 352 crore. It includes three major bridges over the Ashtamudi Lake, having a total length of 1540 metres. This project will reduce travel time between Alappuzha and Thiruvananthapuram, and will also decongest traffic in Kollam town, read a statement.
In Thiruvananthapuram, the Prime Minister will visit the Padmanabhaswamy Temple. He is likely to unveil a plaque to mark the launch of some visitor facilities.

This is third official visit of the Prime Minister to Kollam. His first visit to the city was in December 2015, when he unveiled the statue of R. Sankar. Subsequently, the Prime Minister visited Kollam in April 2016, hours after the fire tragedy.

In Kollam, Prime Minister Modi is also expected hold a non-official public meeting.