MillenniumPost
Big Story

Modi asks people to use public transport, save fuel

yogesh kantNoida: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a 12-km stretch of Delhi Metro's Magenta Line with a ride between the Botanical Garden and the Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations here.
Modi was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and DMRC chief Mangu Singh during the ride.
The prime minister boarded the metro at Botanical Garden, which is the terminal station of the Magenta Line, at 1.05 pm, and alighted at the Okhla Bird Sanctuary following a four-minute ride. Both stations fall in Noida.
The other end of the line, for now, will be south Delhi's Kalkaji Mandir. However, by April, the entire corridor, stretching till Janakpuri West, is scheduled to be functional.
The PM advocated the use of public transport to save on fuel and costs associated with the import of petroleum, saying travelling on a metro train should be a "prestige issue".
Modi said governments incur a lot of cost in creating infrastructure, but when it is ready, it benefits generations to come.
Addressing a public meeting, Modi said by 2022, when India celebrates its 75 years of Independence, he wants to cut down on imported petroleum products. He said a multi-modal transportation system would ensure that use of fuel is cut down, which will help the common man save money and also be useful for the environment.
On December 24, 2002, then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee took a ride on the metro, Modi recalled. "It was a historic moment. Since then, the Metro network in NCR has expanded considerably," he said.
We live in an era in which connectivity is all important, the prime minister said.
"Without connectivity, life comes to a standstill. This Metro is not only for the present but also for future generations," he said. There was the need to change the mindset so that people prefer using public transport than their private vehicles.
Next Story
Share it