Ahmedabad: Faster permits for metro projects due to double-engine govt, says PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first phase of the Ahmedabad Metro project and the Vande Bharat Express connecting Gandhinagar with Mumbai, in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Modi, who is on a two-day visit to his poll-bound state, said India would get new momentum from its cities. "With the changing times, it is necessary to continuously modernise our cities with the changing needs," the prime minister said.

He also said the transport system in the city should be modern and offer seamless connectivity, where one mode of transport supports the other. In the last eight years, the Metro network is either operational or is at an advanced stage in more than two dozen cities, Modi said. Dozens of smaller cities have been connected via air and the UDAN scheme, the government's regional air connectivity programme, he added.Similarly, railway stations are undergoing a transformation. "Today, Gandhinagar railway station is no less than any airport in the world," he said, underlining the government's decision to modernise the Ahmedabad railway station.


On the Vande Bharat Express, Modi pointed out that it would reduce the distance between Ahmedabad and Mumbai and be more comfortable. The Prime Minister also said that due to the 'double-engine government' (a campaign slogan for the ruling BJP in Gujarat), clearances and other permissions for the metro projects were obtained quickly to complete the project on time.

Route planning for the Metro was done while keeping the needs of the poor and needy in mind. Kalupur is getting a multi-modal hub, he added. Modi later visited Ambaji in Banaskantha district in North Gujarat and dedicated projects worth several thousand crores.