PM Modi inaugurates Metro Rail Project in Pune; Says country must focus on sustainable environment that supports vision of circular economy, encourages green development

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, the country must focus on developing sustainable environment that supports the vision of circular economy, promotes Waste to Wealth and encourages green development. He said, every city should have a modern waste management system to strengthen the circular economy and there should be modern sewage treatment plants to make every city water plus. He said this after laying the foundation stone of rejuvenation and pollution abatement of Mula-Mutha River projects in Pune, Maharashtra.

Mula-Mutha River Rejuvenation will be done in 9 Kilometre stretch of the river at a project cost of more than one thousand 80 crore rupees. It will involve works such as river edge protection, interceptor sewage network, public amenities, boating activity etc.

Mula-Mutha River pollution abatement project will be implemented on the concept of One City One Operator at a cost of over one thousand 470 crore rupees. A total of 11 sewage treatment plants will be constructed under the project, with a combined capacity of around 400 million litres per day MLD.

Earlier in the day he inaugurated the 12 kilometre stretch of the total 32.2 kilometre Pune metro rail project. The entire project is being built at a total cost of more than 11 thousand 400 crore rupees. Mr Modi also inaugurated an exhibition at Garware Metro Station and undertook a metro ride from there to Anandnagar Metro Station.

This Metro Rail Project is an endeavour to provide world-class infrastructure for urban mobility in Pune. The Foundation Stone of the project was also laid by the Prime Minister on 24th December 2016.

After arriving in Pune, Mr Modi unveiled the statue of Shri Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the premises of Pune Municipal Corporation. The Statue is made up of One thousand eight hundred 50 kg gun metal and is about 9.5 feet tall. He also launched 100 e-buses and e-bus depot constructed at Baner.

Mr Modi said, the Nation is celebrating Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav and Pune has a historic contribution in India’s Independence. He said, earlier today, he had the honour of unveiling the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Prime Minister said, this statue will instill the feeling of patriotism in the youth.

He said, it is his good fortune that people of Pune had invited him to lay the foundation stone of Pune Metro and now they have given him the opportunity to inaugurate it. Mr Modi said, it also has the message that projects can be completed on time.

He said, Pune has strengthened its identity in the cultural, education, IT, Research and Development sectors. The Prime Minister said, in such a situation, modern facilities are the need of the people of Pune and the government is working round the clock to meet their expectations. He said, the Pune metro will increase the mobility of people and eliminate the stress of traffic jams and pollution.

Mr Modi said, mass transportation, especially metro connectivity is the need of the hour. He said, in 2014, Metro was operational only in Delhi-NCR and other few cities, but now Metros are operational or will soon begin operations in more than 24 cities.

Mr Modi said, we must encourage Nadi Utsav in the cities and districts that will teach the value of the water resource. He said,  our government is focusing on delivering speedy, integrated developmental projects under PM GatiShakti. He added that PM GatiShakti Masterplan will work with an integrated focus along with proper communication systems for stakeholders, ensuring timely completion of projects.

The Prime Minister also inaugurated the RK Laxman Art Gallery-Museum at Balewadi, Pune by virtual mode. The main attraction of the museum is the miniature model based on Malgudi village which will be brought to life through audio-visual effects. Cartoons drawn by cartoonist RK Laxman will be displayed in this museum.

Governor of Maharashtra Bhagat Singh Koshyari, Union Minister Ramdas Athavale, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Devendra Fadnavis, MP Prakash Javadekar, Girish Bapat and others were present on the occasion.