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The long-awaited Pune Metro line connecting Shivajinagar District Court and Swargate is set to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, September 29th. The announcement was made by local MP and Union Minister Murlidhar Mohol, highlighting the significance of this project for Pune's growing urban population. The inauguration will take place virtually, and PM Modi will also lay the foundation stone for the Swaraj-Katraj Metro stretch, further expanding Pune's transportation infrastructure.
However, the event was initially scheduled for Thursday and was to be a physical visit by PM Modi, coinciding with the launch of other development projects worth Rs 22,600 crore. But heavy downpours in the city led to the cancellation of the physical visit and the postponement of the event. The venue at SP College ground, which was prepared for the launch, was severely affected by the heavy rains.
The postponement and the change in format to a virtual inauguration have drawn criticism from the opposition NCP. Supriya Sule, NCP (SP) working president and Baramati MP, expressed her views on the cancellation, stating that PM Modi should have opted for an online inauguration since he has done so for similar projects in the past. Meanwhile, Pune NCP (SP) chief Prashant Jagtap criticized the delay in the inauguration and alleged that the government deliberately postponed it to allow PM Modi to launch the line. He even went so far as to threaten that if the government failed to launch the new metro line, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders would open it to the public on Friday.