Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the completed section of the ₹11,000 crore Kanpur Metro Rail Project in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.
PM Modi, who was accompanied by UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union petroleum minister Hardeep Singh Puri, also took a little over 10 minutes ride on the Metro train from the IIT-Kanpur Metro station to Geeta Nagar in the city.
“Onboard the state of the art Kanpur metro. Heading to the programme where key development works will be launched,” the Prime Minister tweeted on Tuesday as he also inaugurated the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project.
The completed 9km long section of Kanpur Metro Rail Project stretches from IIT-Kanpur to Moti Jheel. The entire length of the Metro project is 32km and it is being built at ₹11,000 crore.
In 2019, chief minister Yogi Adityanath started the construction work and the trial run took place on the 9km IIT-Kanpur to Motijheel Priority Corridor on November 10 this year.
“Improving urban mobility has been one of the key focus areas of the Prime Minister. The inauguration of the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is yet another step in this direction,” according to a statement by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).
Before the Metro project inauguration, PM Modi addressed the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur. “Today is a day of double happiness for Kanpur. On one hand, Kanpur is getting a metro rail facility and on the other hand, the world of technology is also getting priceless gifts from IIT Kanpur,” he said.
In recent weeks, the Prime Minister has been inaugurating a slew of developmental and welfare projects in Uttar Pradesh, which will go into elections next year. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government is aiming for a second consecutive win in UP.