In a show of strength by the BJP and Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday sounded the bugle for the BMC polls to achieve ‘Mission Mumbai’, asserting that Maharashtra’s ruling pair of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis will fulfil Mumbaikars’ dreams.
Without naming the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi Government, which ruled for two and a half years after the 2019 Assembly election, Modi said, “The speed of development had slowed down for a while. However, after the Shinde-Fadnavis Government came to power, Mumbai’s development has gathered speed again.”
In all, the eight projects were part of the Prime Minister's function:
Mumbai Metro 2A & 7 - Phase II
Mumbai 1 Mobile App
National Common Mobility Card
Seven Sewage Treatment Plants
Free Healthcare
Three New Hospitals for Mumbaikars
Road Concretisation Project
CST Redevelopment Project
At the grand event at the MMRDA Grounds in the Bandra-Kurla Complex, Modi laid the foundation stones for seven sewage treatment plants, a Rs6,100 crore road concreting project, and the redevelopment of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), apart from inaugurating Metro lines 2A and 7 in the western suburbs. The cost of all the projects put together is around Rs 38,800 crore.
The sewage treatment plants, collectively estimated to cost Rs17,200 crore, will come up in Malad, Bhandup, Versova, Ghatkopar, Bandra, Dharavi and Worli and provide a combined capacity of around 2,460 million litres a day.
The terminus redevelopment is planned to decongest its southern node, augment facilities, improve multi-modal integration and conserve and restore the World Heritage Site to its past glory. The project will be executed at a cost of over Rs1,800 crore.
The Metro Line 2A, also known as the Yellow Line, connects Dahisar (East) and DN Nagar in Andheri (West) and is around 18.6km long while Metro Line 7, having Red Line identification, connects Andheri (East) with Dahisar (East), a distance of around 16.5km.
In another project to strengthen healthcare infrastructure, 20 Hindu Hridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana clinics were inaugurated. These centres will provide essential medical services such as health checkups, medicines, investigations and diagnostics free.
The foundation stone was also laid to redevelop three hospitals — the 360-bed Bhandup Multispeciality Municipal Hospital, the 306-bed Siddharth Nagar Hospital at Goregaon (West) and the 152-bed Oshiwara Maternity Home.
“Today’s projects will play a major role in making Mumbai a better metropolis,” the Prime Minister said. “This is the first time since Independence that India has the courage to turn its dreams into reality.”
At the event, Modi also launched the Mumbai 1 mobile app and the National Common Mobility Card. The app will facilitate ease of travel and can be shown at the entry gates of all Metro stations and supports digital payment to buy tickets through UPI.
The mobility card will initially be used on the Metro corridors and can be extended to other modes of mass public transit, including local trains and buses. Commuters need not carry multiple cards or cash as this card will enable quick, contactless, digital transactions, making the process seamless.
Modi said the city would “get a facelift” with technological advancement of Mumbai's trains, expansion of the Metro network, Vande Bharat trains and advanced connectivity “faster than the bullet train”.
“There is no dearth of capacity and political will for the development of cities,” the Prime Minister said and emphasised the need for proper use of the money allocated. “Development cannot be realised in a city like Mumbai till an urban local body has the same priorities. That is why the role of the local urban body is critical.”
He also stressed the role of cities in the creation of a developed India, or vikasit Bharat, as he put it. During ‘Amrit Kaal’, as he refers to the 25 years to the centenary of Independence, many cities of Maharashtra will drive India’s growth, he said. “That is why preparing Mumbai for the future is one of the priorities of the double-engine government,” the Prime Minister said. He cited the example of the Metro in Mumbai and said that in 2014 Mumbai had one 11km route which is now moving rapidly towards a 300km network.
“From poor labourers and staff to shopkeepers and big businessmen, living in Mumbai will be convenient for everyone,” Modi claimed. He also said travelling to Mumbai from neighbouring districts will become easier.
The Prime Minister said projects like the Coastal Road (incidentally, former Chief Minister Thackeray’s brainchild), Indu Mills Smarak, Navi Mumbai airport and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link are giving Mumbai new strength.
He observed that projects like the redevelopment of Dharavi, Asia’s second largest slum, and old chawls are getting back on track and congratulated Shinde and his team. He also touched upon the work taken up to improve roads in Mumbai.
He also warned against politicising development. He regretted that schemes like SVANidhi, which has benefited 35 lakh street vendors with affordable, collateral-free loans, including five lakh in Maharashtra, were hampered in the past for political reasons. For this he stressed the need for perfect coordination from the Centre to the state to the city. He reiterated that SVANidhi is much more than a loan scheme and termed it a foundation of self-respect for street vendors.
“BJP, NDA governments don't allow politics to interrupt development,” he proclaimed. “But we saw this happening earlier in Mumbai. Today, everyone feels that India is doing something essential for rapid development and prosperity. Today, India is full of unprecedented confidence. With the inspiration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the sense of 'swaraj' and 'suraaj' reflects on the double-engine govt of today's India.”
