Billboards, banners welcome PM Modi to Imphal ahead of Rs 8,500 crore projects unveiling

Imphal wore a festive look on Friday as billboards, banners, and welcome gates were put up across the city to mark Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Manipur on Saturday, more than two years after ethnic violence first broke out in the state.

The prime minister is scheduled to unveil and lay foundation stones for projects worth Rs 8,500 crore, including inaugurations amounting to Rs 1,200 crore and new projects worth Rs 7,300 crore. Officials said Modi will also address a public gathering at Kangla Fort, a historic site in the heart of Imphal.

A massive welcome gate, stretching over 20 feet and emblazoned with “Welcome Shri Narendra Modi ji,” has been erected near the BJP state headquarters along the route from Imphal airport to Kangla Fort. Additional billboards highlighting the upcoming projects have also been installed in Sanjenthong and near the Nupi Lan complex.

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The seven-kilometre stretch from the airport to Kangla Fort has been fortified with wooden barricades, while workers have been deployed to clean and repaint road medians ahead of the high-profile visit.

The visit comes against the backdrop of criticism from opposition parties, who have repeatedly targeted the prime minister for not visiting Manipur since May 2023, when clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities plunged the state into ethnic strife. The violence has claimed more than 260 lives and displaced thousands.