rime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the much-awaited Badarpur-Faridabad Metro that will connect the national Capital with the satellite town and hoped that it would give impetus to economic growth in the region.Mr. Modi, who himself took a train of the Metro’s Violet Line (Line 6) from Janpath station in Delhi to reach Bata Chowk station here, said the new section could help boost employment opportunities in this key industrial hub.
The Prime Minister said that the ecomomic policies of his government over the past one year have begun to show results with India surviving the worst global slowdown.
Addressing a public meeting at Sector 12 in Faridabad, at the inauguration of the Badarpur-Escorts (Mujesar) corridor of Delhi Metro that will connect Delhi and Faridabad, Mr. Modi, in his inimitable style, said that “Hindustan” was the only country to stand firm amid the “storm of economic slowdown” across the world. Reiterating that “development” was the only agenda of his government, the Prime Minister said that it was the only remedy for the ills of the country. “The youth want employment, farmers want the best price for their crops and the elderly need facilities. All this is possible only with development. My government is working only on one agenda, one aim and one destination, which is development,” said Mr. Modi.
Mr. Modi has said that implementing One Rank One Pension (OROP) was not an easy decision for his government and could have very wide ramifications. “It had hung fire for more than four decades. Many governments came and went, but failed to resolve the issue. My government came to power on May 26 last year and is just 15 months old. But we had made a promise and kept our word,” the Prime Minister said.
Mr. Modi said that Haryana was “second home” to him as he had spent several years in the State after leaving Gujarat. He added that he would return the love bestowed on him by the people of Haryana with “interest”.
Describing the inauguration a “historic event”, Union Minister of Urban Development M. Venkaiah Naidu said the metro would soon be extended another three kms till Ballabhgarh in Faridabad. He said that Mr. Modi was now known a “Maker of Modern India” and his government had resolved several issues remaining unresolved for years such as One Rank One Pension and the India-Bangladesh border issue.
Of the 300-km metro network across India, more than 200 km was in Delhi, said Mr. Naidu. Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar was also present on the occasion.
The new corridor with nine stations — Sarai, NHPC Chowk, Mewala Maharajpur, Sector-28, Badkal Mor, Old Faridabad, Neelam Chowk Ajronda, Bata Chowk and Escorts Mujesar — marks the extension of Line 6 of Delhi Metro from Central Secretariat to Badarpur. The entire stretch is elevated and the stations are located on either side of the Delhi-Mathura Road (National Highway-2).
What makes this corridor stand out is that all stations and the depots are energy-efficient with the use of LED lighting and regenerative braking in lifts, which earned the stations platinum rating.
My government is working only on one agenda, one aim and one destination that is development
