Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday slammed previous governments for “lacking planning and vision for urban development”, and said the Pune Metro project wouldn’t have moved ahead in the ‘’old work culture’’ which he has done away with.

Inaugurating and laying foundation stone of Rs 11,200 crore projects via video conferencing, Modi said the completion of phase 1 of Pune Metro would improve the ease of living in the city.

Modi said if the old work culture and approach of previous governments had prevailed, the Pune Metro project would have never taken off.

Maharashtra needs new resolutions and big targets, he said, adding Pune needs to be transformed into a centre for urban development.

“Due to the booming population, the speed of the city shouldn’t slow down but boost its capacity. This can happen only if the public transport is made modern and connectivity is improved. This is the approach of the Mahayuti government (in Maharashtra), he said.

Modi said the work of catering to the modern needs of Pune should have started much earlier.

“Unfortunately, previously there was lack of vision and planning for urban development. Due to the old work culture of delays, the country and the state had to suffer. The Pune Metro project was conceived in 2008 but the foundation was laid by us in 2016 and now it is expanding,” he said.

The previous government couldn’t even set up one pillar of metro project in eight years, he said. Development needs to be prioritized and when there is a break, Maharashtra suffers, he added.

Modi said the state government under Eknath Shinde’s leadership as CM has removed all hurdles in way of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.

Modern infrastructure should be based on needs and priorities and when future ready infrastructure is ready , it should benefit every section of the society, he said.

Modi, who laid the foundation stone for the memorial for Krantijyoti Savitribai Phule’s first girls’ school at Bhidewada in Pune, said modern infrastructure should be accompanied by preserving legacy.

India should be modernized but it should be based on our fundamental values, he said.

Referring to the school started by Savitribai Phule, Modi said the country has seen what happens when women take up the responsibility of social change. If Maharashtra develops, the country will follow, he said.

“We have changed old work culture of previous governments. We have brought stricter laws for women’s security, women’s reservation bill, opened doors for women defence forces and under Swachh Bharat programme, toilets for women were made,” he said.

Modi also flagged off the inaugural train on Pune Metro underground section from Swargate to District Court via video conferencing.

“We have to cross many stages for achieving the “peak” of Viksit Bharat,” he said.

Modi also laid the foundation stone for Swargate-Katraj Extension of Pune Metro Phase-1 to be developed at the cost of around Rs 2,955 crore.

This southern extension of around 5.46 km is completely underground with three stations namely Market Yard, Padmavati and Katraj.

The PM also inaugurated Bidkin Industrial Area, a transformative project covering 7,855 acres under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme. It is located 20 km south of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

The project, developed under Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor, holds immense potential as a vibrant economic hub in the Marathwada region. Central Government has approved this Rs 6,400 crore project for development in three phases.

Modi inaugurated the Solapur Airport which would significantly improve connectivity, making Solapur more accessible to tourists, business travellers and investors. The existing terminal building of Solapur has been revamped to serve around 4.1 lakh passengers annually.

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