Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for development projects worth over Rs 38,000 crore in various sectors in Mumbai.
35 km long metro project
PM inaugurated Mumbai Metro Rail Lines 2A and 7 built at a cost of around Rs 12,600 crore. These include the 35-km elevated corridor stretching from Andheri to Dahisar in suburban Mumbai. He took a ride on the newly launched Metro. PM Modi also inaugurated 20 ‘Apla Dawakhana’ (health clinics), named after Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.
Big push for Maharashtra’s infrastructure
These projects marked a major push to infrastructure, urban travel and healthcare ahead of local elections where the BJP and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena would seek to showcase these ventures to take on political rivals.
This was Modi’s first visit to Mumbai after Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde took charge after toppling the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in late June last year. At the inauguration and foundation stone laying ceremony of development projects at Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), both Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis hit out at the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction and the MVA government.
Municipal elections in Mumbai and some other important cities including Pune, Thane and Nagpur are likely to be held later this year.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction are trying to wrest the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) from the Thackeray-led camp.
At a function held at the MMRDA grounds in BKC, Modi inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for projects worth over Rs 38,000 crore aimed at developing infrastructure, easing urban travel and strengthening healthcare in the financial capital.
He laid the foundation stone for seven sewage treatment plants, a road paving project and the redevelopment of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.
Fadnavis targets MVA government
Earlier in his speech, Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis said that in the 2019 assembly elections, Modi had urged people to vote for a ‘double engine government’ (BJP in power in the state and at the Center) in Maharashtra.
“But due to treachery of some people, we did not have a pro-people government in the state for two-and-a-half years (tenure of the MVA rule). But because of the true followers of Balasaheb Thackeray, we have a government.” The BJP leader said apparently referring to Shinde, who rebelled against the Shiv Sena leadership in June 2022, leading to the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.
Fadnavis said Modi is the only PM to inaugurate projects whose foundation stone was laid by him, indicating the beginning of a new culture.
Hitting out at the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction, he said those who ruled the Mumbai civic body for many years never worked to provide clean water to the local residents.
Fadnavis thanked the Center for providing railway land for the redevelopment of Dharavi, a huge slum colony in Mumbai.
Chief Minister Shinde said that during the tenure of the MVA administration (November 2019-June 2022), development lagged behind.
“We were able to free the people of Mumbai from suffocation under the MVA rule because of Modiji’s leadership,” the CM said. Shinde showered praise on the PM.
The chief minister said, “There is something special in Modi’s personality. I feel a pavitra (sacred) feeling.” Shinde was in Davos earlier this week.
The CM said that his government would transform Mumbai in the next three years and give a new identity to the financial capital of India and also to Maharashtra. “Let’s take a pledge to build a new Maharashtra under the leadership of Modi,” he said.
The 18.6 km long Mumbai Metro Rail Line 2A connects suburban Dahisar (East) with the 16.5 km long DN Nagar (Yellow Line) while Metro Line 7 connects Andheri (East) to Dahisar (East). The foundation stone of these lines was laid by PM Modi in 2015.
PM launched mobile app
The Prime Minister also launched the Mumbai 1 mobile app and the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC).
The app, which can be shown at the entrances of metro stations, will help ease travel. It supports digital payments for purchasing tickets through UPI.
An official release said that the mobility card would be initially used in the metro corridor and later it could be extended to other modes of mass public transport including suburban trains and buses.
Commuters will not need to carry multiple cards or cash, it said, adding the NCMC will enable instant, contactless digital transactions, making the process easier with a seamless experience.
The seven sewage treatment plants will be built at a cost of around Rs 17,200 crore and will come up in suburban Malad, Bhandup, Versova, Ghatkopar, Bandra, Dharavi and Worli. Their combined capacity would be around 2,460 MLD, the release said.
In an effort to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in Mumbai, the Prime Minister inaugurated 20 Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana clinics. The initiative provides essential medical services like health check-ups, medicines, tests and diagnostics to the people free of cost.
The PM laid the foundation stone for three new hospitals – 360-bed multi-specialty municipal hospital at Bhandup, 306-bed facility at Goregaon (West) and 152-bed maternity home at Oshiwara.
This will benefit lakhs of residents of the city and provide them with top class medical facilities, the release said.
The PM launched a Rs 6,100 crore road paving project for about 400 km of roads in the megapolis.
He also laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in South Mumbai.
The project aims to decongest the southern heritage node of the terminus, enhance amenities, better multi-modal integration and preserve and restore the world-renowned iconic structure to its past glory. The redevelopment will cost over Rs 1,800 crore.
The Prime Minister also launched the transfer of loans sanctioned to over one lakh beneficiaries under the PM SVANidhi scheme.
(with PTI inputs)
Also read: Karnataka: PM Modi plays traditional drum during public event in Kalaburagi | watch