NEARLY EIGHT years after he laid the foundation stone of the Pune Metro Rail project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sunday virtually inaugurated the 3.68-km stretch of the Pune Metro from District Court to Swargate, marking completion of the project’s first phase.
The Prime Minister, ahead of the Assembly elections in Maharashtra which are likely in November, also laid the foundation stone of various projects worth over Rs 11,200 crore in the state via video conferencing.
Flagging off the first run of the Metro from District Court to Swargate stretch, the Prime Minister, who began his speech in Marathi, lauded the work done for expansion of the Pune Metro and slammed the previous Congress-led UPA government for “doing nothing” to alleviate the transport miseries of Pune residents.
“The need for Pune Metro was discussed in 2008. But in eight years, the previous government could not even erect a pillar of Pune Metro. After coming to power, our government took quick decisions and laid the foundation stone in 2016 and has set up a modern network of Pune Metro,” the Prime Minister said, adding that Pune Metro was making rapid progress and was expanding.
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He also laid the foundation stone for Swargate to Katraj stretch which is the part of the first phase extenstion plan of Pune Metro.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, several of their cabinet colleagues, and Pune MP Murlidhar Mohol were among those present at the event.
On September 26, the Prime Minister was supposed to visit Pune and inaugurate the Pune Metro stretch. However, his visit was cancelled due to forecast of heavy rain. It was then decided that he would virtually inaugurate the project implemented by Maha Metro Rail Corporation Ltd.
The Prime Minister had laid the foundation stone of Pune Metro project in December 2016 and the actual work started in July 2017. The project was supposed to be completed in 2022.
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However, for two years, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Metro work came to a halt. “The District Court to Swargate work was completed in the fastest time of two years despite the opposition and hurdles to land acquisition,” Maha Metro managing director Shravan Hardikar told The Indian Express.
The completion of the first phase will drastically reduce travel time of commuters both from Pune city and Pimpri-Chinchwad, Metro officials said.
For residents of Pimpri-Chinchwad, it usually takes one-and-a-half hours or sometime even three-four hours to reach Swargate, especially during the monsoon, by Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Ltd buses or by personal vehicles.
”Now commuters will be able to reach Swargate from Pimpri in just 34 minutes,” a Metro official said.
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Criticising “lack of planning and vision” of the previous Congress-led UPA government, the Prime Minister said, “An advanced transport system like Pune Metro should have happened much earlier. It didn’t. This is because there was lack of both planning and vision in the urban development of our country. Files of various plans would remain stuck for years. Even if a plan was made, the project would remain grounded for decades. The old work culture has caused a great loss to our country, Maharashtra, and Pune…”
Highlighting Pune’s progress and the pressure of the growing population, Modi said, “Maharashtra needs ambitious goals and new resolutions. We need to make cities like Pune a centre of progress and urban development. We need to take steps to push development and augment capacity. Our Mahayuti government is determined to modernise Pune’s public transport, improve connectivity and ensure of ease of living.”
Mentioning various projects which were allegedly delayed before the Mahayuti government came to power in Maharashtra, Modi said, “Be it the Metro project, Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train or the irrigation projects for farmers, they were all delayed. Maharashtra can make rapid progress if there is development-driven governance.”
Underlining Maharashtra’s role in guiding the nation towards development, the Prime Minister said, “There is a pressing need for future-ready infrastructure… The benefits of development can reach every section of the soceity when everyone participates in the development of the country… Together we will achieve this goal of ‘Viskit Maharashtra, Viksit Bharat’…”
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After the Prime Minister flagged off the first run, the Chief Minister and the two Deputy Chief Ministers travelled by Pune Metro from Swargate to District Court.
“The completion of the first phase of Pune Metro will make Puneites breathe easy as it will free them from daily traffic jams,” CM Shinde said.
Fadnavis said the dream of Puneites for a better connectivity has been realised. “Pune Metro was completed in the fastest time and even the Swargate-Katraj stretch will be completed in record time,” he added.
Other projects
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone for Memorial for Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule’s First Girls’ School at Bhidewada. It will include a skill development center, a library, and other essential facilities. Modi said the memorial will serve as a lasting tribute to the social reform movement. “When the door of every sector opens up for our daughters, only then do the real doors of progress opens for the country,” said the PM, adding that the Savitribai Phule Memorial will give further energy to these resolutions and the campaign for women empowerment.
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He also inaugurated the revamped Solapur airport and termed it a “special present” for devotees of Lord Vitthal. The Prime Minister said that the terminal capacity of the airport has been increased and new services and facilities have been created for the passengers after the completion of the upgradation work of the existing airport.
The Prime Minister also dedicated the Bidkin Industrial Node to the nation and highlighted its potential to bring significant investments and employment opportunities to the region.
“With the development of the Bidkin Industrial Area across 8,000 acres, thousands of crores of investment will flow into Maharashtra, creating jobs for thousands of youth,” he said.
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