Agra: Describing Metro rail in the Taj city as a modern value addition to the historical city of Agra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday virtually inaugurated the construction work of Agra metro in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
The PM, on the occasion, said that this historical city is now matching its steps with the progress and growth of the 21st century. UP Governor Anandi Ben Patel was also marked by her virtual presence while the Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (independent charge ) Hardeep Singh Puri was present in Agra. The foundation stone of the project was laid by the PM through a virtual programme in May 2019.
Thanking the Prime Minister, CM Yogi Adityanath said it will herald a new era of public transport in the Taj City. Congratulating the people of Taj City for Agra Metro Rail Project (AMRP), he said that besides benefiting the 26 lakh odd locals of the Taj city, the metro will also prove to be a better option for movement to over 60 lakh tourists who visit Agra every year.
CM Yogi said that there were some problems in the development and promotion of tourism in Agra city in the absence of adequate public transport system and that too as per the norms of the environment. The Apex Court of the country had also expressed its concern over this but the sustained efforts of PM Modi resulted in this project getting realised as well as successful operations of Metro in Noida, Greater Noida and Lucknow.
The PM had earlier inaugurated construction of Kanpur metro project the work on which is going on in full swing, the UP CM said thanking the former for the metro projects in Uttar Pradesh.
He said it has been a matter of pride for us that under the guidance of PM Modi, the public welfare schemes seen on ground benefited the poor, youths and women during the trying times of Covid while on the other hand the infrastructure development went on without any hindrance.
The UP CM chose the occasion to congratulate the Prime Minister as the Invest India received UNCTAD Investment Promotion Award 2020. Asserting that this coveted title is a true testimony to the global recognition of India's business friendly environment, the CM pointed out that Invest India has been a valuable partner in formation of Invest UP, the premier investment promotion agency that will work together with Invest India to bring in more investments into the state. "I thank the Prime Minister for the extraordinary measures taken under his leadership to improve Ease of Doing Business (EoDB) in the country. We look forward to working with Invest India to attract and facilitate more investments into the state,'' he added.
The total cost of the AMRP is Rs 8379.62 Crore and in the first phase, Sikandra to Taj East Gate corridor will be constructed. CM Yogi is himself monitoring the project and the traffic on this corridor is expected to start in December 2022. There are two corridors of a total of 29.4 kms are proposed in the project.
In the first phase, the 6 km long primary section of 14 kms Sikandra Taj East Gate corridor will be constructed and it will have six metro stations. While Taj East Gate, Basai and Fatehabad Road metro stations will be elevated stations, the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Jama Masjid halts will be underground stations. The 15.4 km long Agra Cantt Kalindi Vihar corridor will be having 14 elevated metro stations at Agra Cantt, Sadar Bazar, Collectorate, Subhash Park, Agra College, Hariparvat Crossing, Sanjay Place, MG Road, Sultanganj Crossing, Kamlanagar, Rambagh, Foundry Nagar and Kalindi Vihar.
All the stations of the AMRC have been planned in such a way that all the four major railways stations, bus depots, colleges, main markets, and the tourist destinations are well connected for an easy movement of the locals as well as the tourists.
It is to be mentioned that the UP Metro Rail Corporation (UPMRC) has set a precedent by constructing the Lucknow metro rail project well ahead of the schedule and construction work of the Kanpur metro is also being carried out at a fast pace. While the Lucknow metro is already running, the construction work on Kanpur metro is in the progress.(UNI)