Previous governments worked without Metro policy, lacked modern vision: PM Modi

Gandhinagar:While carrying out the the virtual ground breaking ceremonies of the the Surat Metro project and the second phase of Ahmedabad Metro project, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that due to lack of modern vision and any metro policy in previous governments, works of only 225 kilometre Metro network were operational, while the present government's modern vision had helped complete more than 450 km of Metro line and work was in progress in more than 1000 km in 27 cities.

PM Modi said, "The difference between the work of previous governments and our government is clearly seen. In the 10 to 12 years of previous governments, only 225 kilometres of Metro line were operational, while in 6 years of our government, more than 450 kilometres of Metro line in 27 cities is operational. There was a time in the country when there was no modern thinking, no policy even for Metro. There was no uniformity between various Metros being developed across the country and there was no coordination with other modes of transport in the cities."

"Now, we are approaching Metro work with an integrated approach, where the other modes of transport like bus and railways will work in unison with the Metro in an integrated approach. The National Common Mobility Card launched in Ahmedabad is another feature which will help in this integration in the future. We are working with not only looking at the current requirements but the requirements 10 years later," said Modi.

The Prime Minister virtually carried out the groundbreaking ceremonies of the Surat Metro which consists of 40.35 km Metro line consisting of two corridors, between Sarthana and DreamCity and Bhesan and Saroli lines. He also carried out the groundbreaking ceremony of the second phase of Ahmedabad Metro, which also comprises two corridors, one from Motera to Mahatma Mandir and the second from Gujarat National law University (GNLU) to GIFT City.

The PM said that Surat and Ahmedabad are cities which will strengthen Atma Nirbharta (self-reliance). "Earlier, two decades back, Surat was known more for disasters such as plague, rather than its development. Now, Surat is the fourth rapidly developing city in the world. 40% of the man-made fabric production in the country comes from Surat and about 30% of man-made fibre is also from Surat. Today, Surat is the second cleanest city in the country. All this has been possible due to better planning. Earlier, 20% of the population lived in huts and shanties, now due to affordable housing schemes only 6% live in shanties. Surat is the best example of Ek Bharat, Shreshth Bharat, where aspiring people from across the country have made it home," added the PM.

Similarly, the PM said that Gandhinagar's image has also transformed in recent years. "Gandhinagar, earlier had the image of a town of Government employees and retired persons...It could not even be called a city. Now, we have seen transformation of its image in recent years and we see youth everywhere nowadays. Today, Gandhinagar is known for the IIT Gandhinagar, GNLU, the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Pandit Deendayal Petroleum University (PDPU),Indian Institute of Teachers Education, the Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Communication and Technology, the National Institute of Design , Bhaskaracharya Institute of Space Application and Geo-informatics (BISAG) ... Company campuses have increased here, raising employment. New modern infra projects have livened up Gandhinagar and in a way made it a dream City," the PM added.

"Today India is taking decisions with confidence. It is not only doing things bigger but also better. India is coming out with the largest affordable housing program and the biggest healthcare services. More than six thousand villages will be connected to the internet shortly," the PM further said.

The PM talked about a program which was rarely discussed and that was the Pragati program. "n the Pragati meetings, I discuss with the government and administration officials, in detail about all the various projects which have been stalled, lingering on for decades. Projects worth 13 lakh crore have been discussed, where we are trying to solve the glitches," added the PM.