Modi in Mumbai: PM to inaugurate Metro 3, address rally on Oct 5
PM Modi will visit Mumbai on Oct 5 to launch infrastructure projects, including the Metro 3 line, and address a rally in Thane ahead of elections.
Mumbai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit the city on October 5 to launch a slew of infrastructure projects, including the first phase of the underground Metro 3 line. The prime minister will also address a rally in Thane, with just over a month to go before the Maharashtra assembly elections.
State government officials held a meeting in Thane on Monday to review the arrangements for Modi’s visit. Among the infrastructure projects the prime minister will launch is the ₹12,220-crore Thane internal metro, which will have 20 elevated stations and two underground stations across a 29-km route. He will then address a rally at the Walavalkar ground in Thane’s Kasarvadavli region.
The state government aims to have around 40,000 people attend the rally, for whom 1,200 buses are being arranged. Women will comprise a significant section of the crowd, according to the government’s plans. The ruling Mahayuti government recently launched several populist schemes aimed at women, including the Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, which promises a monthly allowance of ₹1,500 for underprivileged women.
Meanwhile, Mumbaiites will finally be able to use the much-anticipated Metro 3 or Aqua Line after the prime minister inaugurates the Aarey-Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) phase. The 12.5-km stretch will have 10 stations, out of the 27 planned for the city’s first underground metro line. The rest of the line, which will go up to Colaba in south Mumbai, is expected to be ready by March 2025.
The groundbreaking ceremony for the 33.5-km Colaba-Bandra-SEEPZ metro route was held on August 26, 2014, by then-chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and then-union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu. The construction took off on October 21, 2016.
Prior to arriving in Mumbai, Modi will visit the Pohradevi shrine in Vidarbha’s Washim district, which is revered by the Banjara community. The community has a strong presence in Vidarbha, where the Mahayuti managed to get a lead in only 20 out of 62 assembly constituencies in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The state government had sanctioned ₹725 crore for the shrine’s development and the Banjara Heritage Museum, which will showcase the community’s culture and traditions.
In 2014, Modi started his poll campaign from Yavatmal-Washim. He also launched his Chai Pe Charcha (Discussions Over Tea) initiative at Dabhadi village in Nashik district.
The City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (Cidco) has also invited Modi to attend the first trial landing at the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport on October 5. However, it’s still unclear whether the prime minister has agreed to attend the event.