Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday made jibes at the previous Congress governments at the Centre and the State at the foundation stone laying ceremony for two Metro corridors and a mass housing scheme at Kalyan.
‘Eight year dealy’
“The city’s first Metro line came in 2014 and it was only 11-km long. What happened for eight years?” he said.
The ceremony was a joint affair between the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), which will be executing the two metro corridors and the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), which is developing the housing scheme.
Mr. Modi declared that that there will be a Metro network spanning 275 km across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) by the year 2024.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the two lines — Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro Line 5 and Metro Line 9 between Dahisar (East) and Mira Bhayander — would bring areas in the MMR within the city’s Metro network. “Bhiwandi, which had no connectivity, will now be connected to Mumbai and MMR with this line,” he said.
He also announced that the State government would soon approve two new Metro corridors, one from Dombivli to Taloja and the other from Mira-Bhayander to Vasai-Virar. The government will also be setting up a Metro network in Nasik.
Housing for all
Mr. Modi highlighted his government’s goal of providing housing for all by 2022 and said that the previous government in their last four years built only 25.5 lakh homes, while his government has built nearly 1.25 crore houses. “If they had to do the same amount of work, it would have taken them two generations,” he said.
The Prime Minister refered to the infamous Adarsh Housing Society case and said that eight lakh homes were being built in Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), with a goal of building a true adarsh (ideal) society.
He said that his government’s culture, concern and speed is a lot different than the previous regime. CIDCO is building 89,771 houses for the economically weaker section and the lower income group category, which will be in the vicinity of bus depots, truck terminals and train stations. The housing projects are approved under the PMAY.
Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao, Union Ministers Ramdas Athawale and Hardip Singh Puri were also present on the occasion.
