New Delhi | Union minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said 700 km of new metro lines have been made operational in the last 10 years, taking the total track length to 945 km.
Metro services are now in 21 cities of the country, the housing and urban affairs minister said and added that prior to 2014, the service was operational in only five cities.
Talking to reporters about the issue of additional Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridors, besides the one between Delhi and Meerut, Khattar flagged resistance from the Delhi government as the cause of delay but assured that the remaining two priority corridors connecting Gurugram, Manesar and Dharuhera, and Sonepat and Panipat in the north of the national capital will soon be sanctioned.
Hours after the minister's claim, the Delhi government, in a statement, said that there has been no delay on its part. "The Delhi government has already given its share of amount to fund the project," it said.
"So much money has been given by the Delhi government, which has not even been spent yet. No file is pending with us. Therefore, it is wrong to say the project has been delayed due to the Delhi government," the statement stated.
Talking about expansion of metro rail network, Khattar highlighted the transformative developments in India's metro rail network over the past decade.
He said that prior to 2014, the metro rail system in India was limited to just 248 km and operational in only five cities.
Khattar said before 2014, on an average, only 600 metres of metro line was being constructed every month. This figure has increased tenfold to six km every month, demonstrating the government's commitment to urban development under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visionary leadership, he said.
"Prior to 2014, the metro rail system in India was limited to just 248 km and operational in only five cities. Over the last ten years, 700 km of new metro lines have been made operational, bringing the total operational length to 945 km, and extending metro services to 21 cities across the country," he said.
The Union Cabinet on Friday approved metro rail projects for Pune, Thane and Bengaluru.
Khattar pointed out that India has developed four state-of-the-art facilities to manufacture metro coaches. These have produced over 1,000 metro coaches in the last five years, supporting various metro rail systems across the country, he said.
With the approval of these new projects, India now has 1,018 km of metro lines under construction, he said and added that India currently ranks third globally in terms of operational metro network length, following China and the US.
"We are poised to soon surpass the US and become second only to China," he said, attributing this success to the 'Make in India' initiative championed by Modi.
In addition to domestic achievements, the minister spoke of the growing international interest in India's expertise in metro rail systems.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is currently implementing a metro rail system in Bangladesh and has provided consultancy services in Jakarta.
Countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, Kenya and El Salvador have also shown interest in partnering with the DMRC for their metro development projects, he said.
