PM Modi to launch projects worth Rs 38,000 crore during Mumbai visit on Jan 19, to dedicate metro rail lines

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate and lay foundation stones for a string of projects worth more than Rs 38,000 crore aimed at developing infrastructure, easing urban travel, and strengthening healthcare during his visit to Mumbai on Thursday.

The prime minister will dedicate to the nation the Mumbai Metro Rail Lines 2A and 7, worth around Rs 12,600 crore. He will also lay the foundation stones for seven sewage treatment plants, a road concretisation project, and redevelopment of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus at a function to be held on the MMRDA grounds in the Bandra Kurla Complex, an official release said.

Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set its eyes on the cash-rich Mumbai civic body to dislodge the rival Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) faction from power in the civic elections, the schedule for which is yet to be announced.

The 18.6 km-long Mumbai Metro Rail line 2A connects suburban Dahisar (East) with the 16.5 km-long DN Nagar (yellow line) while the metro line 7 joints Andheri (East) with Dahisar (East).

Interestingly, the foundation stones of these lines were laid by PM Modi in 2015.

He will also launch MUMBAI 1 Mobile App and National Common Mobility Card (Mumbai 1). The app will facilitate ease of travel which can be shown at the entry gates of Metro stations. It supports digital payment to buy tickets through UPI.

The Card will initially be used in metro corridors and can be extended to other modes of mass public transit including local trains and buses as well, the release said.

Commuters will not need to carry multiple cards or cash, it said, adding the NCMC card will enable quick, contact-less digital transactions, easing the process with a seamless experience.

The seven sewage treatment plants for which PM Modi will lay the foundation stone will be built at a cost of around Rs 17,200 crore. These plants will be set up in suburban Malad, Bhandup, Versova, Ghatkopar, Bandra, Dharavi and Worli. They will have a combined capacity of around 2,460 MLD.

In an effort to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in Mumbai, the prime minister will inaugurate 20 “Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Aapla Dawakhana” clinics. The “Aapla Dawakhana” initiative provides essential medical services like health check-ups, medicines, investigations and diagnostics free, to the people.

The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for the redevelopment of three hospitals- a 360-bed Bhandup multi-speciality municipal hospital, a 306-bed hospital in Goregaon (West), and a 152-bed maternity home in Oshiwara. This will benefit lakhs of residents of the city and will deliver top-class medical facilities to them, the release added.

The PM will also launch a road concretisation project worth Rs 6,100 crore for around 400 km of roads in the megapolis.

Of the total roads extending to around 2,050 Km in Mumbai, more than 1,200 Km of roads are either concretized or are in the process of being concretized. However, the remaining roads of about 850 km in length face challenges of potholes which severely impact transportation. The road concretisation project is aimed to overcome this challenge.

These concrete roads will ensure fast travel along with enhanced security, while also providing better drainage facilities and utility ducts will ensure regular digging of roads is avoided, the release said.

Another important project is the redevelopment of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in south Mumbai for which the foundation stone will be laid.

This project is aimed at decongesting the southern heritage node of the terminus, augmentation of facilities, better multi-modal integration and conserving and restoring the world-famous iconic structure to its past glory, the release said. The redevelopment will cost more than Rs 1,800 crore.

Further, the prime minister will also start the transfer of approved loans of more than one lakh beneficiaries under the PM SVANidhi Yojana.