PUNE, India / AsiaWire.IO / – Pune’s Hinjawadi to Shivajinagar metro corridor opened on Tuesday as Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for metro projects worth around ₹21,800 crore. Modi took part through video conferencing. The new Line 3 gives a major IT hub faster links to the heart of the city. The Phase 2 lines launched at the same event will further connect Pune’s old and new neighborhoods.
Line 3 was built by Pune IT City Metro Rail Ltd, a joint venture of Tata Group’s TRIL Urban Transport and Siemens Project Ventures, under a public-private partnership. Implemented by the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority, the elevated line stretches about 23 kilometers with 23 stations at a cost of around ₹8,300 crore. Modi said such partnership models give further momentum to the country’s progress.
Phase 2, valued at about ₹13,500 crore, covers four new corridors: Vanaz to Chandani Chowk, Ramwadi to Vitthalwadi, Khadakwasla to Kharadi and Nal Stop to Manikbaug. The Khadakwasla to Kharadi line alone will run about 25.5 kilometers. Modi, who laid the foundation stone for the first phase of the Pune Metro 10 years ago, said stronger connectivity will give fresh momentum to the city’s development.
Cities as engines of growth
Modi described Pune as a historic center of ideas and a hub of youth aspirations in IT, automobiles, pharmaceuticals, startups and manufacturing. He said cities are now judged by their competitiveness and ease of living, both of which improve with metro networks that cut commuting time. Higher urban productivity accelerates the national economy, he said, benefiting both the poor and the middle class.
India’s metro network has grown to nearly 1,200 kilometers in 26 cities over 12 years, carrying more than 10 million commuters a day, Modi said. He said it is now counted among the top three metro networks in the world. Maharashtra had only 10 to 11 kilometers of metro in 2014, compared with nearly 175 kilometers today. More than 680 kilometers are under construction in the state, involving investment of over ₹2.5 lakh crore.
Poverty decline and farm support
Modi said the Urban Challenge Fund, approved in February with ₹1 lakh crore in central support, will help turn smaller towns into growth hubs. He also said India has lifted 50 crore people out of extreme poverty in 10 to 12 years, according to the World Bank. The Bank’s latest brief put extreme poverty at 2.6%, down from 27.1% in 2011. He linked that progress to rapid economic growth and direct benefit delivery.
The prime minister acknowledged the hardship facing Maharashtra’s farmers after adverse weather and drought. He noted that the state had provided advance assistance and that PM Kisan funds had been transferred. “Do not worry at all, we are all with the farmers,” Modi said. He urged citizens to remember those in distress during Diwali, saying the country would face the calamity together through collective effort.