Mumbai: The Sitabardi-Zero Mile-Kasturchand Park corridor of the Nagpur Mahametro – which involves first of its kind masterpiece architecture in which the train passes through the fourth floor of a 20 storey building – became operational on Friday.
Expected to enhance the public transport system and connect the most congested areas, the 1.6 km long Sitabardi-Kasturchand Park connects the Vidhan Bhavan, Reserve Bank of India, Central Museum, Sanvidhan Chowk and Morris College in Nagpur.
The crucial Nagpur Mahametro corridor was inaugurated at the Zero Mile point by Maharashtra Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri. Uddhav, along with the Union Ministers, virtually flagged off the first metro train running on this route.
The chief minister and two union ministers also inaugurated the 40,000-square-feet Freedom Park around the Zero Mile station. Called the Zero Mile Freedom Park Station, the metro station has unique concepts like Public Plaza and History Wall.
The T-55 tank used in the war has also been installed here for Nagpurites to see. There is an Amphitheatre inside Freedom Park, while the history Wall here stretches up to Martyrs’ memorial.
Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari has expressed confidence that the Sitabardi-Zero Mile-Kasturchand Park corridor and the Freedom Park would add to the splendor of Nagpur.
“A lot of world-class infrastructure is being built in Nagpur. For the first time in our country, a two-tier metro has been set up,” Gadkari said.
Gadkari promised funds from Central Roads Fund for an underpass to reach Zero Mile Station from Cotton Market without any hindrance of traffic signals. He also said that MahaMetro has helped a lot in beautification of Telangkhedi Lake and flyover in Nagpur city. He said that the proposal for Metro Phase II had been sent to the Union Cabinet for approval.
“The work of Nagpur-Mumbai Samrudhi Highway has been started by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways along with Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation. All the funds required by the State will be provided by the Central Government,” Gadkari said.
Gadkari also promised to provide an
additional Rs 1 lakh crore for the development of Mumbai-Thane cities in the proposed meeting in Mumbai.
The Nagpur Metro Rail project was approved on August 21, 2014 and its foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the same day. “My Metro” in Nagpur is a Green Metro; 65 per cent of its total energy need is met from solar energy. It also recycles 100 per cent water used by it and is also equipped for harvesting rainwater. There are bio digesters at all stations. Metro receives more than 60% of its revenue from non-fair-box.
Union Minister for Urban Development and Petroleum Hardeep Singh Puri, who joined the event virtually, said that the project is capable of being a clean and sustainable project as Nagpur Metro uses green energy. He expressed confidence that the Nagpur Metro project would be completed by December 2021.
“Traditional Rajput-style architecture has been adopted in designing Kasturchand Park. The facade of Kasturchand Park Metro Station and its architecture have been done on the same lines. Symbolic parts of Rajput architecture like umbrellas, arcs, Rajput nets, carved-on columns are shown at the metro station. This has created a unique structure in the city,” Puri said.
Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said that there would not be any hindrance to the development works in the state.
Uddhav said that while constructing the elevated route of the metro project, the Mahametro should pay attention to beautification under this route as well as to provide some facilities to the citizens. He said that development should take place but it was essential to ensure that there were no shortcomings in it. “We are confident that we will do such a good job for the people in the 75th year of independence that it will last for next 75 years,” he said.
Nagpur’s Guardian Minister and State Energy Minister Dr. Nitin Raut expressed confidence that this metro service would prove to be beneficial in easing the traffic and also providing transport facilities to the students.
Maharashtra’s former chief minister and current leader of the Opposition in the State Assembly Devendra Fadnavis said: “Nagpur's Zero Mile is a very historic place and the Great Trigonometry Survey was started by the British in 1907 from Zero Mile, Nagpur”.