The Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid foundation stone for various Mumbai Metro projects, in line with the vision of Mumbai in Minutes. The projects will provide a boost to the metro infrastructure of the city and will contribute to a safer, faster and better commute for every Mumbaikar.Speaking on the undying resolve of ISRO and its team of scientists, the PM said: “There are three types of people who strive to attain goals: those who do not even start due to fear of failure, those who start but run away on facing challenges and those who strive continuously despite big challenges. ISRO and those associated with it belong to the third category; they do not stop or get tired or pause before the mission is attained. Though we have faced a challenge in Mission Chandrayaan 2, ISRO’s scientists will not stop until the goal is realized. The goal of conquering the moon will definitely be achieved. It is a historic achievement that the Orbiter has been placed successfully in the lunar orbit.”The PM said that projects worth 20,000 crore rupees have been initiated in Mumbai today, while 1.5 lakh crore rupees have already been invested in Mumbai Metro. He said that new metro lines, Metro Bhavan and new facilities at metro stations will give a new dimension to Mumbai and make life easier for Mumbaikars. “The connection between Bandra and expressway will make life easier for professionals. With these projects, Mumbai can be reached in minutes”. He complimented the state government for the changes being brought about in the field of infrastructure.The PM stated that as India proceeds towards the goal of becoming a 5 trillion dollar economy, our cities too should become cities of the 21st century. In line with this goal, the Government is spending 100 lakh rupees in next five yearson building modern infrastructure, which will benefit Mumbai and many other cities, said the PM. The PM highlighted the importance of future-ready infrastructure and noted that connectivity, productivity, sustainability and safety need to be considered while developing cities.
The PM said that to make transport easier, the Government is striving to build integrated transport systems. “A vision document has been released to provide better infrastructure for Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The document explains how to make best use of various modes of transport, such as Mumbai local, bus system. A master plan for Mumbai metro has been made.”Informing citizens about the expansion plan for Mumbai Metro, the PM said: “From 11 km today, the metro network of the city will increase to 325 km by 2023-’24. The capacity of the metro will become as much as that of the volume of people carried by Mumbai local today. The coaches which run on the metro lines will also be manufactured in India.”The PM stated that 10,000 engineers and 40,000 skilled and unskilled workers will get job opportunities due to the metro projects. Citing the examples of Navi Mumbai airport, Mumbai Trans Harbour terminal and bullet train project, the PM said that the scale and speed with which projects are being executed today is unprecedented.Reflecting on the fast expansion of the metro system in India, the PM said that metro was present in only a few cities until recently, while today a metro is present or is being launched in the near future in 27 cities. “675 km of metro lines are operational today, out of which around 400 km became functional in the last five years; work is in progress on 850 km, while approval has been given for work on 600 km of metro lines.”The PM said that efforts are being made to develop India’s infrastructure in a holistic way, in order to fast-track development.The PM said that historic decisions have been taken by the government in the first 100 days. Citing Jal Jeevan Mission, Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojana, abolition of triple talaq and Act for child safety, the PM said that the government has taken decisive and transformative steps.Speaking of the importance of being aware of one’s responsibilities, the PM said that Surajya is the duty of every Indian. The PM exhorted everyone to make a resolve for the sake of the country and to work hard in fulfilling it.He made a call to avoid pollution of water bodies during immersion of Bappa(Ganesh idol), noting that a lot of plastic and waste goes into sea during the festival. He also exhorted people to make the Mithi River and other water bodies plastic-free, thereby setting an example to the rest of India, in the shared quest to make India free of plastic.
Projects in Brief
The PM laid foundation stone for three metro lines, which will together add more than 42 km to the metro network of the city. The three corridors are 9.2 km long Gaimukh to Shivaji Chowk (Mira Road) Metro-10 corridor, 12.7 km long Wadala to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus Metro-11 corridor and 20.7 km long Kalyan to Taloja Metro-12 corridor.The PM also laid foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Metro Bhavan; the 32-storey centre will operate and control 14 metro lines measuring around 340 km.The PM inaugurated Bandongri Metro Station, Kandivali East.He also inaugurated a state-of-the-art metro coach, the first metro coach under Make in India.The PM released a Brand Vision Document for Maha Mumbai Metro.More details on the projects can be found here: https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1584361 .Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Shri Devendra Fadnavis complimented the PM for encouraging ISRO’s scientists and boosting their confidence and morale. “We believe we have conquered the moon under your leadership; now only formality is remaining”, he said.The CM said that the vision is to enable Mumbaikars to travel from any part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region to any other part within a maximum of 60 minutes. He said that Mumbai will be the first city in the nation to have an integrated transport system, where citizens can travel on various modes of transport using the same ticket. The Mumbai Metro system will provide a green transportation system to the city, mitigating 2.5 crore tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions, he said. When completed in 2024, the metro system will ply 1 crore passengers daily, while the suburban system carries 80 lakh passengers today.
The metro system will use intelligent systems such as Artificial Intelligence, driverless trains and advanced signalling systems. Speaking about the first metro coach under Make in India, the CM expressed hope that we will be able to make metro coaches of international standard. He said that the biggest metro coach-building contract given by MMRDA has been to BEML, in line with the vision of Make in India.The CM requested the PM to give his wishes and approval for the hybrid metro, which has been approved in Nasik. He said that the hybrid metro project will be a gamechanger, by running in areas having narrow roads as well.Shri Fadnavis said that by repealing Article 370, the PM has removed a long-existing wound in the minds of Indians, leading to a nationwide feeling that the whole country is one country. The flag is flying proudly in Srinagar and Kashmir too, he added.Union Minister for Railways and Commerce & Industry, Shri Piyush Goyal said that Mumbai has a big share among the infrastructure projects in the country which are making rapid progress, according to a report by Deutsche Bank. Congratulating ISRO scientists, the Minister said that all Indians have been and will continue to be proud of ISRO’s scientists whose efforts take the nation to greater heights. He said that the nation now has one nation, one flag and one constitution, thanks to the repealing of Article 370.Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Bhagat Singh Koshyari and Union Minister of State for Social Justice & Empowerment, Shri Ramdas Athawale were also present on the occasion, besides other dignitaries.