Visiting Jalandhar for the second time in six months, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of rail and road infrastructure projects worth ₹5,470 crore on Friday.High security measures have been put in place for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jalandhar, his second to the district in the last six months. (HT)Including the inauguration of the newly renovated 100-year-old British-era Jalandhar Cantonment railway station, Modi’s visit is seen as Bharatiya Janta Party’s political outreach while setting the tone for the crucial 2027 state assembly elections.The visit, which also features a public gathering of BJP workers and supporters, holds political significance as the party prepares to contest the Punjab elections independently.From the Jalandhar Cantonment station, the Prime Minister will inaugurate 75 redeveloped railway stations across the country under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme. Built at a cost of approximately ₹1,570 crore, these modern facilities incorporate local culture, heritage, and architecture under the theme “Virasat Bhi, Vikas Bhi”.Four of these redeveloped stations are in Punjab: Jalandhar Cantonment, Mohali, Muktsar and Anandpur Sahib.The Prime Minister will also flag off two new train services: The Kartoli-Ambala service, improving connectivity across Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, and the high-speed Chheharta (Amritsar)-Varanasi Sant Ravidas Express, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the Ravidassia community for a direct train ahead of Guru Ravidas’ 650th Parkash Purab celebrations at his birthplace, Seer Govardhanpur in Varanasi.Additionally, Modi will inaugurate the new Daulatpur Chowk-Kartoli rail line. Constructed at a cost of ₹830 crore as part of the Nangal Dam-Talwara-Mukerian project, it will boost connectivity between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, specifically benefiting Hoshiarpur and Una districts. The line provides faster access to remote areas and key religious sites, including Anandpur Sahib and the Chintpurni Temple.High security measures have been put in place in and around the venue, with police force from nearly 10 districts reaching Jalandhar for further reinforcement.Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, along with senior officials, reviewed security arrangements at the Jalandhar Cantonment railway station on Thursday.On February 1, Modi visited Dera Sachkhand Ballan, an influential centre of the Ravidassia community, a key Dalit group in the state, to attend Guru Ravidas’s 649th birthday anniversary celebrations.“Whenever Prime Minister Modi visits Punjab, he brings a major development gift for the state, and this visit will be no different, with development projects worth crores set to be dedicated to Punjab,” said Punjab state president Kewal Singh Dhillon.Dhillon added that Modi’s vision was to make India the world’s leading nation, with Punjab playing a vital role in that journey.“The modernisation of old railway stations across the state reflects this vision by transforming them into world-class transport hubs. The development taking place in Punjab today is being driven by the central government’s initiatives,” Dhillon said.PM to land at 3 pmThe Prime Minister will land at Adampur Air Force station at 3 pm on Friday from where he will reach the PAP headquarters in Jalandhar via helicopter.Modi will head to the Jalandhar Cantonment railway station via road from PAP, which is nearly 500 metres away from the venue. He will inaugurate the newly renovated railway stations at 3.40 pm and will stay at the venue for nearly 80 minutes.He will also interact with schoolchildren at the railway station, besides flagging off the new trains. He will head back to PAP and Adampur Air Force station at 5 pm.Traffic diversions in place on 2 national highwaysIn view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit, Jalandhar Rural Police have implemented a special traffic diversion plan on the Amritsar-New Delhi and Pathankot-Jalandhar national highways from 2.30 pm onwards on Friday.Police said traffic from Ludhiana towards Amritsar will be diverted via Phagwara, Nakodar and Kapurthala, while traffic towards Pathankot from Moga side will be diverted from Nakodar, Kapurthala and Tanda.Traffic coming from Ludhiana towards Hoshiarpur and Pathankot will be diverted from Chandigarh bypass, Mehtiana, Dasuya and Pathankot.“The national highway near PAP will remain closed during Modi’s visit from 2.30 pm onwards and the traffic will be routed through diversions,” Jalandhar commissioner of police Satinder Singh said.Police appealed to all citizens to cooperate with the traffic police and adhere to the traffic advisory for a safe and hassle-free travel experience.