Gadkari, Goyal, and PM Modi: The trio that gave Pune its very own metro

• PM Modi inaugurated the Pune Metro and also bought a ticket to travel in the light rail
• It took efforts by big heads like Gadkari, Goyal and PM Modi to bring this into reality
• Metro trains are essential for future generations and PM Modi realises it, that’s why he puts in personal efforts into these projects

Almost five years after Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation of Pune Metro on December 24, 2016, he bought the ticket for the first ride. Built with a total cost of 11,400 crore rupees, Pune Metro is a joint venture between the Union government and the Maharashtra government. The credit for completion of Pune Metro goes to PM Modi, who personally looked after the project as it was getting delayed for the last one and a half decades.

Three heroes of Pune Metro

Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister of Maharashtra in 2016, who started a slew of infrastructure projects in the state including Pune Metro, has also played a big role in the completion of this project.

Two ministers in the Modi government from Maharashtra – Union Transport minister Nitin Gadkari and Union minister Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal – were also closely involved with the project.

Previously, Nitin Gadkari, the union minister for Road Transport and Highways, and MSMEs has asked the Mahratta Chamber of Commerce, Industries and Agriculture (MCCIA), to create a vision document for Pune.

Gadkari said, “We need to make a vision document for Pune region encompassing all activities in different fields like auto, pharma, etc. I am personally looking into the infrastructural issues in Pune city like the airport, metro, and other projects. We need to create satellite cities to resolve problems like pollution in cities like Pune and Mumbai.”

Collaborative effort

The residents of Pune were waiting for the metro for the last two decades and the project was finally completed, thanks to the Union government. As of now, a 12-km stretch of the total 32.2-km of the project is operational. The trains will be operational along 2 routes – Vanaz to Garware College Metro Station, and PCMC to Phugewadi Metro Station.

Unlike the Mumbai Metro, which is owned by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), a state government body, the Pune Metro under MAHA METRO that is a joint venture of the Government of India and the Government of Maharashtra, and this is the region the work on this project had not slowed down in the last five years.

MAHA METRO, the implementation agency for four projects in the state of Maharashtra – Nagpur, Pune, Nashik, Thane – will give a major intra-city connectivity boost to these cities. The intra-city connectivity is among the poorest in the cities of Maharashtra even though they are richer as compared to cities of other states. The gross negligence of public spending over city infrastructure has made commuting a tedious task in these cities.

Infrastructure for future generations

In the last seven and a half years, the Modi government has built more infrastructure – road, rail, metro, airport, digital highways – than in the last seven decades. The government’s focus on infrastructure has eased living for the people in cities and villages.

The time taken to transport the goods as well as people from one place to another has been reduced dramatically. The investment in infrastructure will ease the burden on future generations, who will have access to better services.