Prime Minister Narendra Modi virtually flagged off the Vande Bharat express connecting Howrah and New Jalpaiguri on Friday. He also virtually flagged off metro services on the Joka-Taratala route in Kolkata and attended a meeting of the National Ganga Council.
Speaking at the event, Prime Minister sought an ‘apology’ from the people of West Bengal for not being able to attend the scheduled event in person due to ‘personal reasons’.
“I was supposed to come to West Bengal but due to personal reasons, I could not come there. I seek forgiveness from the people of Bengal,” he said. The Prime Minister joined the programmes in West Bengal via video conferencing in the wake of the demise of his mother Heeraben Modi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi further asserted that the Union government is making record investments for railway infrastructure modernisation. He said that railway stations, including New Jalpaiguri, are being developed on the lines of airports.
Noting that the doubling of tracks and electrification is underway at a record speed, he said that the eastern and western freight corridors will bring revolutionary changes to the country’s economy. “Today’s Vande Bharat train was launched from the land where ‘Vande Mataram’ slogan was coined,” he pointed out.
The Prime Minister added, “The launch date of December 30 is significant as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose had hoisted the tricolour in Andaman and Nicobar Islands on this day in 1943.”
On the issue of water pollution, he said that the Centre is laying stress on preventing pollution of rivers. “West Bengal will have 25 new sewage treatment projects, 11 of which have already been completed, while seven will be launched during the day,” he said.
“In this year of Azaadi ke Amrit Kaal, we will adopt forward-looking approach to take country ahead. The world is looking at India with great faith; every Indian has to exert himself to live up to this expectation,” he added.
About the Joka-Taratala route, PM Modi said the train services will ensure ease of living for residents of Kolkata. “Work on the rest of the route till Esplanade is underway,” he said.
The event was also attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Governor C V Ananda Bose and Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
Earlier, Banerjee, while speaking on the occasion, condoled the demise of Modi’s mother Hiraben. “Your mother is also our mother,” she said.
The CM also said work on four out of the five railway projects that Modi will launch on Friday were started during her tenure as railway minister.
About the Projects:
The seventh Vande Bharat express, flagged off by the Prime Minister, started its journey at 11.45 am from platform number 22 of Howrah Station to travel to New Jalpaiguri, the gateway to the northeast.
The blue-and-white train, which covers a distance of 564 km in 7.45 hours, will save three hours of travel time compared to other trains on the route, officials said. It will have three stoppages at Barsoi, Malda and Bolpur.
The Vande Bharat express with modern passenger amenities is likely to be preferred both by regular passengers, tea industry executives and tourists travelling to the Himalayas in North Bengal and Sikkim.
The state-of-the-art train has 16 coaches, including two for drivers.
The Joka-Taratala 6.5-km stretch having six stations has been constructed at a cost of more than Rs 2,475 crore. Passengers of southern parts of Kolkata such as Sarsuna, Dakghar, Muchipara and South 24 Parganas will be immensely benefited by the inauguration of this project.
Read all the Latest India News here
Comments
0 comment