PUNE Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s itinerary for Sunday (March 6) has been finalised and he is likely to travel by Metro rail and later address the public at MIT College ground at Kothrud while also unveiling Chhatrapati Shivaji’s statue at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) headquarters.
According to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office bearers and city mayor Murlidhar Mohol, Prime Minister will first visit the PMC building to unveil the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in the morning and later travel by Metro from Garware College to Vanaz, the priority stretch, which will start commercial operations.
Later, Modi will address a public meeting at a ground in Kothrud before heading for another function at Lavale village.
“Prime Minister’s tour plan has been confirmed but the minute-to-minute schedule is not available. The PM will arrive in Pune at around 10:30 am and later visit the PMC headquarters to unveil the Shivaji Maharaj statue. Later he will inaugurate the two priority stretches of Metro rail project between Garware college to Vanaz and Dapodi to Pimpri,” said Mohol.
During the visit, Modi will also launch electric vehicles, a riverfront development project and the RK Laxman art gallery. After his public meeting, PMC event, PM is going to attend another function at Lavale which is organised by Symbiosis Institute, Mohol said.
{{/usCountry}}During the visit, Modi will also launch electric vehicles, a riverfront development project and the RK Laxman art gallery. After his public meeting, PMC event, PM is going to attend another function at Lavale which is organised by Symbiosis Institute, Mohol said.
{{/usCountry}}The BJP is looking at this meeting to start its campaign not just in Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad but all other cities in Maharashtra going for municipal elections.
Municipal elections are lined up in at least 14 cities including Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Nashik and Nagpur in the next two months.
PM Modi will be the first prime minister to visit the PMC headquarters. In the past, no Prime Minister had visited the PMC premises at Shivajinagar. Earlier in December, home minister Amit Shah attended the groundbreaking ceremony of the Shivaji Maharaj statue at the PMC headquarters.
For the Metro project, Modi himself had laid the foundation stone more than five years ago.
The BJP, which controls PMC, is keen to showcase Metro rail as its project for Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, the two cities which were waiting for it for almost two decades.
No confirmation on CM Uddhav Thackeray’s presence during the event
As per protocol, PMC has invited Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for the inauguration of the metro project though the CM has not confirmed his presence. Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the guardian minister of Pune said he will attend the event.
“Chief Minister will decide about the same considering his health,” he said.
According to Pawar, Prime Minister’s office held the tour review which was attended by Maharashtra chief secretary, Pune mayor and divisional commissioner Saurabh Rao.