India: Modi inaugurates Pune Metro, takes a ride with students

Pune: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated a 12-km stretch of the upcoming 32.20-km long Pune Metro Rail project.

Modi bought a ticket from the counter, walked into the Garware Station and along with a group of school students took a ride on the train to the Anandnagar Station.

The Rs11,400-crore Pune Metro is aimed at providing world-class urban mobility infrastructure for the city.

Soon after his arrival, Modi unveiled a 9.5 feet tall statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) complex, made of 1,850kg gun metal.

With this, he became the first PM to visit the PMC 60 years after the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had come here.

Meanwhile, Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, said that the inauguration of the Pune Metro Rail Project demonstrated France’s support for clean mobility in India.

The project was co-founded by France with 180 million Euro to improve the quality of life of Pune’s citizens.

“Proud to attend the inauguration of @metrorailpune by PM @NarendraModi! Co-funded by France to the tune of EUR180 million, this state-of-the-art metro will improve the quality of life of #Pune’s citizens and demonstrates France’s support for clean mobility in India,” tweeted Lenain.

Modi earlier said that while Metro services were available in very few cities till 2014, today more than two dozen cities are either being benefitted by the metro services or are on the verge of getting it.

PM Modi said: “Maharashtra has quite a significant share of this expansion if we look at Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Pimpri Chinchwad Pune. This Metro will ease mobility in Pune, give relief from pollution and jams, increase the ease of living of the people of Pune.”

He also called upon the people of Pune specially the well-off people to make it a habit to use Metro and other public transport.

It is part of a total 32.2 km Pune Metro rail project. The entire project is being built at a total cost of more than Rs 11,400 crore, stated the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in an official statement.

Modi later flagged off 150 electric buses manufactured by Olectra for public transport in Pune. He also inaugurated a state-of-the-art electric bus depot and charging station in Baner during the programme. Modi has also appealed to the nation to encourage electric mobility to avoid diesel and reduce carbon emissions.

With the addition of new 150 electric buses, the citizens of Pune city will experience air-conditioned, noiseless commuting. These will reduce the carbon dioxide emissions significantly in the city, as per an official statement by Olectra.

It is found that urban public transportation is one of the primary causes of pollution across the world. The buses are 100 per cent electric, zero-emission and have several safety features.

It also said that Olectra manufactured state-of-the-art electric buses are able to serve efficiently in multiple cities like Surat, Goa, Silvassa, Dehradun, Mumbai, Pune and Surat etc. As the response from the commuters in multiple cities is exuberant, the respective transport organisations are willing to expand the electric bus fleet.

The buses are equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure the safety of the commuters, an Emergency button and USB Sockets for each seat. The lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery installed in the bus enables it to travel around 200 km on a single charge, based on traffic and passenger load conditions, it said.

The technologically advanced bus has a regenerative braking system which allows the bus to recover part of the kinetic energy lost in braking. The high-power AC and DC charging system enable the battery to recharge in three to four hours fully, it added.

Later, addressing the Golden Jubilee of Symbiosis University, Modi said: “We learn that an institution is made by the hard work of everyone associated with it. Today is the day to celebrate all the students, alumni and professors who made Symbiosis University what it is today.”

“Symbiosis University is based on the principles of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. It is a medium to connect the whole world as one family, this has been our culture. I am glad that this tradition is still alive in our country,” he added.

Lauding initiatives like Startup India, Standup India, Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat mission represent the aspirations of our youth, PM Modi said, “Today’s India is innovating, improving and influencing the whole world.”

Further, the Prime Minister said that right now, amid the Ukraine crisis, the world is witnessing how India is evacuating its citizens out of the war zone safely with Operation Ganga.

“From software to health, from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to Electric Vehicle (EV), from drone to semiconductors, the government is bringing reforms in every sector to open up new opportunities for our youth,” he said.

“India has emerged as the second-largest country in the world in mobile manufacturing. Seven years ago, there were only 2 mobile manufacturing companies in India, today more than 200 manufacturing units are engaged in this work,” PM Modi added.

He also urged the youth to create their own startups, and said, “Solutions to local problems and challenges faced by people should come from universities and the youth.”

“Whatever field you are in, the way you set goals for your career, the same way, set goals for the country,” he added.

The sectors in which India did not show any representation before are the ones in which the nation is becoming a global leader, the Prime Minister said.

“The government trusts the strength of the youth of the country. That’s why we are opening sectors one after the other for you. I urge you all to make the most of these opportunities,” he added.

During the day, Modi also inaugurated an art gallery-museum at Balewadi, dedicated to the legendary cartoonist R.K. Laxman who passed away in January 2015.

The museum highlight is a miniature model based on the fictional village of Malgudi, which will be made alive through the audio-visual effect, cartoons with the famed ‘You Said It’ logo, drawn by Laxman will be showcased here.

Later he laid the foundation stone of rejuvenation and pollution abatement projects of the Mula-Mutha River on a 9 km stretch slated to cost Rs 1,080-crore.

The works involve river edge protection, interception sewage network, public amenities, boating, etc. on the Mula-Mutha River on the concept of ‘One City, One Operator’ costing Rs 1,470-crore.

Under this, a total of 11 sewage treatment plants shall be built with a capacity of around 400 MLD.