The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi flagged off metro trains marking the inauguration of completed sections of Pune Metro today. He also handed over more than 1280 houses constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) and more than 2650 PMAY houses constructed by Pune Municipal Corporation to the beneficiaries. He laid the foundation stone for around 1190 PMAY houses to be constructed by PCMC and over 6400 houses constructed by Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority. The Prime Minister also inaugurated a Waste to Energy Plant under PCMC developed at a cost of about Rs 300 crores.
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister said that August is the month of celebrations and revolutions. Highlighting the contributions of Pune city in the freedom struggle, the Prime Minister said that the city has given numerous freedom fighters to the country including Bal Gangadhar Tilak. He also informed that today is the birth anniversary of the great Anna Bhau Sathe who was a social reformer and was inspired by the ideals of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Even today, the Prime Minister informed that many students and academicians conduct research on his literary works, and his work and ideals are a source of inspiration for everyone.
“Pune is a vibrant city that gives momentum to the economy of the country and fulfills the dreams of the youth of the entire country. Today’s projects with about 15 thousand crore will further strengthen this identity”, the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister underlined the seriousness of the government about the quality of life of the urban middle class. Recalling the start of the Metro work five years ago, the Prime Minister said that the 24 km Metro network has already started functioning in this period.
Shri Modi emphasized the need to improve public transport infrastructure to improve the quality of life of people living in every city. Therefore, the Prime Minister said, the metro network is being expanded, new flyovers are being constructed, and emphasis is being laid on reducing the number of traffic lights. The Prime Minister informed that before 2014, the country had only 250 km of metro network and most of the metro lines were limited to Delhi whereas today, the metro network has gone beyond 800 km and work is already underway for 1000 km of new metro lines in the country. Before 2014, the Prime Minister informed, the metro network was limited to only 5 cities in India whereas today, the metro is functional in 20 cities including Pune, Nagpur and Mumbai where the network is being expanded. “The metro is becoming a new lifeline for the cities in modern India”, the Prime Minister remarked as he stressed the need for metro expansion to tackle climate change in a city like Pune.
Shri Modi emphasized the role of cleanliness in improving the quality of urban life. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, he said, is not limited to toilet access but waste management is also a big focus area. Mountains of garbage are being removed in mission mode. He explained the benefits of the Waste to Energy Plant under Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).
“The industrial development of Maharashtra has paved the way for the industrial development of India since independence”, the Prime Minister remarked. Highlighting the need to further industrial development in the state, the Prime Minister highlighted the unprecedented investments being made by the government in Maharashtra. He gave examples of the development of new expressways, railway routes and airports in the state. For the expansion of Railways, the Prime Minister informed that there has been a twelve-fold rise in expenditure when compared to before 2014. Various cities of Maharashtra are also connected to the economic hubs of neighboring states. The Prime Minister gave examples of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail which will benefit both Maharashtra and Gujarat, the Delhi-Mumbai Economic Corridor which will connect Maharashtra with Madhya Pradesh and other states in North India, National Dedicated Freight Corridor which will transform the rail connectivity between Maharashtra and North India, and transmission line network to connect the state with Chhattisgarh, Telangana, other neighboring states which will benefit the industries, oil and gas pipelines, Aurangabad Industrial City, Navi Mumbai Airport, and Shendra Bidkin Industrial Park. He said that such projects have the capacity to enthuse new energy into the economy of Maharashtra.
The Prime Minister said that the government is moving ahead with the mantra of the nation’s development through the state’s development. “When Maharashtra will develop, India will develop. When India will grow, Maharashtra will also reap benefits”, he said. Referring to India’s growing identity as the hub of innovation and startups, the Prime Minister informed that India has crossed 1 lakh startups compared to a few hundred 9 years ago. He credited the expansion of digital infrastructure for this success and praised Pune for its role in the foundation of India’s digital infrastructure. “Cheap data, affordable phones and Internet facilities reaching every village has strengthened the sector. India is among the countries with the fastest rollout of 5G services ”, he said. He continued that strides made by the youth in fintech, biotech and agritech are benefitting Pune.
The Prime Minister expressed concern for the consequences of political selfishness for Karnataka and Bengaluru. He also lamented the stalling of development in Karnataka and Rajasthan.
Shri Modi said that “to take the country forward, policies, intentions and rules (Niti Nishta and Niyam) are equally important.” This is a determining condition for development, he said. He informed that in the 10 years before 2014, only 8 lakh houses were constructed in two schemes of that time. More than 2 lakh such houses, including 50 thousand in Maharashtra, were rejected by the beneficiaries due to poor quality, he informed.
The Prime Minister underlined that the government started working with the right intention and changed the policy after coming to power in 2014. In the last 9 years, the Prime Minister informed that the government has constructed more than 4 crore pucca houses for the poor in villages and cities where more than 75 lakh houses have been built for the urban poor. He also highlighted the transparency introduced in the construction and the improvement in their quality. He also highlighted that for the first time in the country, most of the houses registered today are in the name of women. Noting that the cost of these houses is several lakh rupees, the Prime Minister emphasized that crores of women in the country have now become ‘lakhpatis’ in the last 9 years. The Prime Minister congratulated and conveyed his best wishes to all those who have found their new homes.
“Be it poor or middle-class family, to fulfill every dream is Modi’s guarantee”, he said. He underlined that the realization of one dream initiates the beginning of multiple resolutions and it becomes a driving force in that person’s life. “We care about your children, your present and your future generations”, he added.
Concluding the address, the Prime Minister quoted a Marathi saying and explained that it is the government’s endeavor to make not just a better today but an even better tomorrow as well. He said that the resolve to build a developed India is a manifestation of this feeling. Shri Modi emphasized the need to work together just like so many different parties that have come together with the same cause here in Maharashtra. “The aim is that better work can be done for Maharashtra with everyone’s participation, Maharashtra should develop at a faster pace” the Prime Minister concluded.
Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Shri Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Shri Ajit Pawar, and Ministers from Maharashtra Government were present on the occasion among others.
Background
The Prime Minister flagged off Metro trains marking inauguration of services on completed sections of the two corridors of Pune Metro Phase I. These sections are from Phugewadi station to Civil Court station and Garware College station to Ruby Hall Clinic station. The foundation stone of the project was also laid by the Prime Minister in 2016. The new sections will connect important places of Pune city like Shivaji Nagar, Civil Court, Pune Municipal Corporation office, Pune RTO and Pune Railway Station. The inauguration is an important step towards realizing the vision of the Prime Minister to provide the citizens with modern and environment-friendly mass rapid urban transport systems across the country.
The design of some of the metro stations on the route draws inspiration from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Chhatrapati Sambhaji Udyan Metro Station and Deccan Gymkhana metro stations have a unique design resembling the headgear worn by soldiers of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – also known as ‘Mavala Pagadi’. The Shivaji Nagar underground Metro station has a distinctive design which reminds of the forts built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
A unique feature is that the Civil Court metro station is one of the deepest metro stations in the country, having the deepest point at 33.1 m. The station roof is made in such a manner that direct sunlight falls on the platform.
Moving ahead towards the mission of achieving Housing for All, the Prime Minister handed over more than 1280 houses constructed under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana by PCMC along with more than 2650 PMAY houses constructed by Pune Municipal Corporation. Further, the Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of around 1190 PMAY houses to be constructed by PCMC, and of over 6400 houses constructed by Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority.
The Prime Minister inaugurated the Waste to Energy Plant under Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC). Developed at a cost of about Rs 300 crores, it will use up about 2.5 lakh MT of waste annually to produce electricity.
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