Ahead of the Assembly election, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday (September 29, 2024) virtually inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for various projects worth ₹11,200 crore in Maharashtra. His scheduled visit to Pune on September 26 was cancelled due to heavy rain in the city.
Mr. Modi inaugurated Pune Metro’s new underground section from District Court to Swargate, marking the completion of Phase-1 of the Pune Metro Rail Project. The underground stretch, spanning between District Court and Swargate, was built at a cost of ₹ 1,810 crore.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, his deputies Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, along with other leaders, participated in the event in Pune.
Additionally, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the Swargate-Katraj Extension of the Pune Metro Phase-1. This southern extension, which is 5.46 km long and entirely underground, will include three stations: Market Yard, Padmavati, and Katraj. The project is estimated to cost ₹2,955 crore.
Mr. Modi also inaugurated the Solapur Airport, which has been revamped to accommodate around 4.1 lakh passengers annually. Recently, NCP(SP) leader Supriya Sule criticised the Prime Minister for inaugurating the ‘same’ project five times.
In addition, he laid the foundation stone for the Memorial to Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule’s First Girls’ School, located at Bhidewada, Pune, commemorating the legacy of India’s first female teacher and her contributions to women’s education.
The Prime Minister dedicated to the nation the Bidkin Industrial Area, a transformative project covering an expansive 7,855 acres under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme of the Government of India, situated 20 km south of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Maharashtra. The project, developed under the Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, held immense potential as a vibrant economic hub in the Marathwada region. The Central Government had approved this project with an overall cost of over ₹6,400 crore for development in three phases.
Addressing the gathering virtually from New Delhi, the Prime Minister recalled the cancellation of his event in Pune due to bad weather two days ago and credited technology for today’s virtual event saying that this land of inspiration of great personalities is witnessing a new chapter of Maharashtra’s development.
He also touched upon laying the foundation stone for Memorial for Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule’s First Girls’ School at Bhidewada and expressed satisfaction with the fast progress towards increasing ease of living in Pune.
“Devotees of Bhagwan Vitthal have also received a special present today”, the Prime Minister said, referring to the inauguration of Solapur Airport to establish direct air connectivity to the city.
He sad that the terminal capacity has increased and new services and facilities have been created for the passengers after the completion of the upgradation work of the existing airport, thereby increasing convenience for the devotees of Bhagwan Vitthal.
Mr. Modi further added that the airport would also give a boost to businesses, industries and tourism and congratulated the people of Maharashtra for today’s development projects.
“Today, Maharashtra needs big goals with new resolutions ”, the Prime Minister remarked, stressing on the need to make cities like Pune a centre of progress and urban development.
Talking about Pune’s progress and the pressure of the growing population, the Prime Minister said steps need to be taken now to augment development and capacity . To achieve this goal, he said that the present state government is working with the approach of modernising the city’s public transport and giving a boost to connectivity as the city expands.
Mr. Modi also recalled that discussions about Pune Metro began in 2008 but its foundation stone was laid in 2016 when quick decisions were taken by his government. As a result, the Prime Minister said, today Pune Metro is gaining speed and expanding.
He recalled inaugurating the metro service from Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi in March this year and auded the work done for the expansion of Pune Metro from 2016 till now because of faster decision-making and removing obstacles. He pointed out that the present government has prepared a modern network of metro in Pune while the previous government could barely construct a single Metro pillar in 8 years.
The senior BJP leader underscored the importance of development-driven governance in ensuring Maharashtra’s progress, stating that any disruption in this continuity leads to significant losses for the state. He highlighted various stalled projects, from Metro initiatives to the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train and critical irrigation projects for farmers, which were delayed before the advent of the double-engine government.
Concluding the address, the Prime Minister reaffirmed his belief in Maharashtra’s pivotal role in guiding the nation towards development and said, “Together we will achieve this goal of ‘Viskit Maharashtra, Viksit Bharat,” he added.
Published - September 29, 2024 02:13 pm IST
