Chennai,  Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday inaugurated the city's fifth drinking water reservoir and also laid foundation stones for various infrastructure projects in the state.

The new reservoir built at an outlay of Rs 380 crore was inaugurated by Shah at a function chaired by Chief Minister K. Palaniswami in Kalaivanar Arangam here. It is the first reservoir built to cater to Chennai's water needs in the last about 70 years.

Shah also laid the foundation stones for Phase II of Chennai Metro Rail with an outlay of Rs 61,843 crore. The three corridors stretching 173 km is expected to start commercial operations in 2026.

The Home Minister also laid the foundation stone for the Rs 1,620 crore elevated expressway project in Coimbatore; expansion of Chennai Trade Centre (Rs 309 crore); Indian Oil Corporation's petroleum terminal at Vallur (Rs 900 crore); Rs 1,400 crore lube plant; Rs 900 crore jetty at Kamarajar Port; and Rs 406 crore check dam and barrage with sluice gates across the Cauvery river in Karur district.

Shah arrived here in the afternoon and was received by Palaniswami, Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and other ministers. State BJP leaders were also present at the Chennai airport to receive Shah, who waived at the BJP and AIADMK cadres who lined up outside the airport.

Later, Shah will meet Tamil Nadu BJP office-bearers and cadres to galvanise them ahead of the 2021 Assembly polls. His visit comes close on the heels of NDA's electoral victory in the Bihar Assembly elections.

Tamil Nadu BJP unit chief L. Murugan had earlier claimed that Shah's visit will put fear in the minds of the opposition parties.