Modi inaugurates Kanpur Metro; here's all you need to know
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday inaugurated the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project during his visit to the city in the poll-bound Uttar Pradesh. Modi also took a ride of Kanpur Metro from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar. He was accompanied by UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.
Why does it matter?
The inauguration of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project comes months ahead of the 2022 UP assembly elections. The project will mark one of the key developmental projects of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in UP. In the last few weeks, Modi has inaugurated many development projects of the Yogi Adityanath-led UP government. These include Jewar International Airport in Noida and the Kashi-Vishwanath Corridor.
What do we know about Kanpur Metro Project?
CM Yogi Adityanath started the construction work of the project on November 15, 2019. The trial run on the 9 km stretch from IIT-Motijheel Priority Corridor was carried out on November 10, 2021. It is a 32-km-long rail-based mass transit system and is still under construction. Built at the cost of over Rs. 11,000 crore, it aims to streamline traffic woes in the city.
First section of metro to open in January
The Kanpur Metro is going to be the fastest-built metro project in the country. The first section of the project is likely to open in January 2022. As per the Detailed Project Report (DPR), two corridors were approved by the government for the project.
PM to inaugurate Bina-Panki pipeline project
Besides the Metro Rail Project, PM Modi will also inaugurate the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project. The 356-kilometers-long project—connecting the Bina refinery in Madhya Pradesh to Panki in Kanpur—has a capacity of around 3.45 million metric tonnes per annum. It will help the region access petroleum products from the Bina refinery. This project is being built at the cost of Rs. 1,500 crore.
PM attends 54th IIT-Kanpur convocation
During his visit, PM Modi also attended the 54th convocation of the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur as the chief guest. Notably, the convocation is unique in the sense that all students will be issued digital degrees through an in-house blockchain-driven technology developed at the institute under the National Blockchain Project. Modi reportedly launched the blockchain-based digital degrees.
UP Assembly polls due next year
UP is going to poll early next year. The state sends the most legislators to Parliament and is hence a key capture for the 2024 general elections. In 2017, the BJP had secured a stupendous victory by winning 312 out of 403 assembly seats. This time, UP is likely to witness a four-corner fight among the BJP, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party, and Congress.
