PM Modi in Pune

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Maharashtra on Tuesday to make a strong pitch for his party ahead of the crucial 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. PM Modi launched infrastructure projects worth over Rs 41,000 crore in the state. PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan metro 5 and Dahisar-Mira Bhayander metro 9 in Kalyan in the neighbouring Thane district.

The event also witnessed the launch of Navi Mumbai town planning authority City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) mass housing scheme worth Rs 18,000 crore, which offers around 89,771 homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).

Speaking at an event organised by English news channel Republic, PM Modi said underlined that India's image in the world has changed considerably in the last four years. He also took a dig at the Congress over the anti-Sikh riots and said that four years ago, no one would have ever imagined that a Congress leader will be convicted for his role in the riots.

Schedule of PM Shri @narendramodi’s public programs in Maharashtra today. Watch Live at https://t.co/vpP0MInUi4 pic.twitter.com/LSY59nGH94 — BJP (@BJP4India) December 18, 2018

AS IT HAPPENED:

# A delegation from the film and entertainment fraternity meets Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asks for lower and uniform GST rates for the industry

# PM Modi lays foundation stone of Pune metro's phase 3 project

# PM Modi to lay down foundation stone for Pune metro's phase 3 shortly

# Mumbai and Thane are those parts of India which have helped the nation realise its dreams. People coming from small towns&villages have made a name here for themselves & made India proud. Those born here & living here are large hearted & gave everyone a place in it: PM Modi in Thane

# PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of two metro corridors — Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro and Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander Metro and CIDCO housing scheme in Maharashtra

Kalyan: PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of two metro corridors — Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan Metro&Dahisar-Mira-Bhayander Metro and CIDCO housing scheme in Maharashtra. pic.twitter.com/x551SdwOj0 — ANI (@ANI) December 18, 2018

# RK Laxman's works reflected the common man. He was truly timeless: PM Modi.

# The country with the largest population of youngsters can't have small dreams: PM Modi​

# Today, in the whole world, India's voice is taken seriously: PM Modi

# I am here today in Mumbai- the city that never stops- and I want to say now that India is a country that never stops, says PM Modi

# Four years ago, no one would have thought that a Congress leader would be convicted for his role in 1984 Sikh riots: PM

# Surging India - The two words are the expression of 130 crore Indians: PM Modi

# Till 2014, only 55% houses in the country had a gas connection. Imagine that. Our government is working towards finding permanent solutions & ending those practices that have held progress back for decades, says PM Modi

# When companies used to be unable to repay loans, nothing used to happen to them and their owners. That's because since the start they had been given protection from probes by certain 'special people'. This has ended with the IBC:

Later in another event, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the proposed third metro line between Hinejwadi and Shivajinagar, being implemented by the Pune Metropolitan Authority (PMRDA) on a public-private partnership basis after the new metro policy.

The Rs 8,416-crore 24.9-km long Thane-Bhiwandi-Kalyan metro-5 corridor is expected to carry around 2.29 lakh commuters daily in 2021, with the entire system designed for six-coach trains. The corridor will have 17 stations.

The 10.3-km elevated Dahisar-Mira Bhayander metro-9 corridor, comprising eight stations, is expected to be completed by 2022, and the cost of the project is estimated at Rs 6,607 crore. Both the projects are being executed by the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA). As per the proposal, metro-9 will be integrated with metro-7 (Dahisar to Andheri) and metro-2A (Dahisar and DN Road) as well as the Rs 3,600-crore Gaimukh-Shivaji Chowk (Mira Road) metro-10.

“Out of the total project cost for metro-9, the cost of land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and civil works will be provided by the state government and MMRDA, which is around Rs 4,967.75 crore, while the cost of rolling stock and systems to the extent of Rs 1,639.25 crore is proposed to be met from loan assistance of JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency),” an MMRDA official said. The tendering process to appoint general consultants and contractors for civil works is in progress, and is expected to commence from March next year.

“Currently, the suburbs of Mira-Bhayander are connected to Mumbai via the suburban railways. After the metro-9 corridor is constructed, commuters will be able to take metro up to Mira-Bhayander from south Mumbai,” the official said. At present, work on several metro corridors is underway across the megapolis, including Dahisar to DN Nagar metro-2A, DN Nagar to Mankhurd metro-2B, Andheri (East) to Dahisar metro-7 and Colaba-Bandra-Seepz metro-3.

The proposed Rs 8,313-crore 23-km long third metro line between Hinjewadi and Shivajinagar will connect busy information technology (IT) part with Shivajinagar, where the other two metro lines will also join. This project is being jointly executed by Tata Realty Infra and Siemens.

(With PTI inputs)

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