PM lays foundation stone and inaugurates various development projects in Pune
Flags off metro trains marking
inauguration of completed sections of Pune Metro
Hands over and lays foundation stone for houses constructed under PMAY
Inaugurates Waste to Energy Plant
“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”
“Our government is committed to enhancing quality of life of citizens”
“The metro is becoming a new lifeline for the cities in modern India”
“The industrial development of Maharashtra has paved the way for the industrial
development of India since independence”
“Be it poor or middle-class, to fulfill every dream is Modi’s guarantee”
The Prime
Minister, 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.
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.
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 neighbouring 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.
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 endeavour 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, Ramesh Bais, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Eknath Shinde,
Deputy Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis and 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.