Ahmedabad : Bhoomi Poojan of metro projects performed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi performed virtual bhoomi poojan for the Surat Metro Rail Project and Phase-II of Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro Project in the presence of Governor of Gujarat Acharya Devvrat, Speaker of Gujarat Legislative Assembly Rajendra Trivedi and Chief Minister Vijay Rupani. During his virtual bhoomi poojan address, the Prime Minister said, “The Metro Rail Project will be instrumental in fulfilling the infrastructural requirements of the future generation. The project, worth more than Rs.17,000 crores, will further augment the infrastructural capacity of two of Gujarat’s biggest trade centers- Ahmedabad and Surat. This project is yet another step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat”. Phase-II of Ahmedabad Metro Project will have two corridors- one connecting Motera to Mahatma Mandir and the other connecting GNLU to GIFT City. Similarly, one corridor for the Surat Metro will connect Sarthana to Dream City and the other corridor will connect Bhesaan to Santheli. These projects are a part of the larger framework of the government to connect various cities through an integrated transport network. They will help in curbing the rising traffic in the days to come. India was connected with a mere 250 km of Metro Rail Network before 2014. A dedicated network of 708 km of metro rail has been made operational in the last 6 years. Works of 1000 kms are under progress in 27 cities. The Prime Minister congratulated the state government for ensuring a dedicated and visionary approach towards the development of Surat. Gujarat contributes 40% to India’s capacity of man-made fabric and 30% in man-made fibres’ category. Surat is one of the most successful cities in India. It had 20% of its area under slum in its yesteryears. Today, it is merely 6%. The city houses more than 100 bridges out of which more than 80 have been constructed in the last 20 years. More than 12 Sewage Treatment Plants have been operational which has led to an income of more than Rs. 100 crores. The city houses some of the finest hospitals thereby adding to the ‘Ease of Living’ factor. Talking about Gujarat’s capital, the Prime Minister said, “Gandhinagar was once known as the city of government employees and its retired personnel. We decided to change the fate of this city through a dedicated and timely planning. Today, students from various parts of the country reside in the city for availing one of the finest higher education. The Metro Rail Project will further boost the city’s transportation facility. Institutes like IIT, NFSU, PDPU, GNLU, NIFT, DAIICT, RSU, NID, etc have created a leading identity of Gandhinagar.” A large number of global companies have also established their offices in the city and provide employment to a large number of youths. Mahatma Mandir has also contributed in providing large scale employment through various national and international events. A New Railway Station is also taking shape in the city. An increase in varied transportation options will also attract more investments.
Chief Minister of the state Vijay Rupani said that this event is the base of Gujarat’s futuristic development. He added that a number of visionary projects have taken shape in Gujarat under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He added, “Government of India has gifted various developmental projects to the state. The cities in Gujarat have become equivalent to various global metro-cities. Despite the menace of COVID-19, various projects like AIIMS, World’s Largest RE Park, Desalination plant, etc. have been initiated by the Prime Minister in the last 2 months.” Gujarat faced a lot of injustice when it came to developmental projects before 2014. However, PM Modi, after assuming the office of the Prime Minister, has given a special focus to the state and further accelerated its journey of development. The Chief Minister showed his dedication and firmness to complete Phase-1 of the Metro project by 2022.
