Modi visit to Mangaluru to study which way the wind is blowing

Mangaluru: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Mangaluru on September 2, though he is stated to visit the city in particular and the coastal Karnataka in general, his visit is heavily weighed for a first-hand report on the popularity scale of his party.

Modi's love for seeing a sea of humanity in front of him is well known. When he came to campaign for the 2018 assembly elections, he stated that he was amazed by the crowds he saw in Mangaluru. According to close circle leaders in his entourage, Modi has a penchant for making an assessment of the pre-election scenario based on the crowds at the meetings held by him as well as his generals in the party.

Mangaluru in particular and Dakshina Kannada and coastal Karnataka, in general, is a barometer of the popularity of his party and its ideology in relation to the BJP ecosystem. There are talks of waning BJP image on the coast which can sooner or later percolate into the other BJP strongholds in the state. The BJP cadres in the state had given a jolt to the state leadership after the murder of Praveen Nettaru.

12 district cadre bases had offered to resign and some of them even did. This also sent tremors to the national leadership. Amit Shah had berated the party leaders for not keeping the interests of the cadres in the state. The state leaders including Nalin Kumar Kateel had gone into a tizzy and resorted to some crisis management in vain. The sources in the party say that the damage control was not enough and it was time to take firm steps to bind the cadres together.

BJP national president JP Nadda and Home minister Amit Shah after two back-to-back visits to Karnataka, have taken the situation seriously not just in terms of the election but also to keep the flock together.

BS Yediyurappa's elevation into the core committee has also given a jump start to the election mode for the BJP. At this point in time, Modi's visit has a doubling effect on the coast. In a one-to-one meeting with the Prime Minister, Amit Shah and JP Nadda Yeddyurappa wanted the leaders to come to Karnataka as frequently as possible. "I have also promised them that we are aiming at 140 seats at the least and will be able to form the government on our own" Yeddyurppa has stated. Will Modi's visit will be an encore of the 2018, it is debatable and anything less would result in heads rolling in the State party unit!

Modi will inaugurate two major landmark projects at the Mangalore Refineries Petrochemical Limited (MRPL) These projects are the BS-VI upgradation project

which is executed at a cost of Rs 1829 Crores inside the MRPL premises and a 30 million litres per day desalination plant executed at a cost of Rs 677 Crores located at 14.5 Acres of land in Tannir Bhavi beach.

BS-VI upgradation project of MRPL is crucial for meeting the visionary environmental targets India has chosen to meet in the days to come. This project is for producing ultra-pure BS-VI grade fuel (with Sulphur content less than 10 PPM). As part of this project, ONGC MRPL has set up one new FCCU Gasoline Treatment Unit (FGTU), Sulphur Recovery Unit (SRU) and Nitrogen Plant. The entire system is under operation producing environment-friendly BS-VI fuels.

The desalination plant has a capacity of 30 Million Litres per Day (MLD) and the capacity can be enhanced to 70 MLD. The plant converts seawater into the water required for the refinery processes. The plant runs on sea water reverse osmosis technology. The project has been executed and is fully functional. Availability of desalination water ensures smooth running of the refinery throughout the year, which is also Modi's dream project under Atmanirbhar Bharat.