By IANS
Mumbai : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh arrives on a day-long visit to Mumbai and neighbouring Thane district Friday during which he will dedicate to the nation two high-efficiency nuclear reactors and review the situation in the Vidarbha region where hundreds of farmers have committed suicide.
In the morning, Singh will visit Tarapur, situated over 100 km from Mumbai in Thane district, to dedicate to the nation two 540 MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs). The two plants have been developed indigenously and together form the single biggest power producing unit in the country.
The prime minister will be accompanied by Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman Anil Kakodkar, and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Jain.
He will then visit the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), the premier nuclear research and development organisation located at Trombay, and address the golden jubilee graduation ceremony. He will be received by BARC Director Srikumar Banerjee.
The visit to these two nuclear establishments is significant in view of the debate over the Indo-US nuclear deal.
The prime minister will later go to the Sahyadri Guest House at Malabar Hill here, where he will hold a meeting to review the situation in Vidarbha. More than 1,000 farmers have committed suicide since he visited the region last year and announced a relief package.
Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, his deputy and Home Minister R.R. Patil and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar will be present. Chief Secretary Johny Joseph and the chief minister will brief the prime minister on the latest situation.
The prime minister will also hand over a cheque to Deshmukh to start the Rs.12 billion (Rs.1,200 crore) project meant to upgrade drainage in this metropolis.