PM Modi takes metro ride with school students, interacts with them in India’s 1st underwater tunnel in Kolkata | Watch

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 6 March unveiled multiple metro projects across the country, including India's first underwater metro line in Kolkata. After the inauguration programme, PM Modi also took a metro ride from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan along with school children. PM Modi also interacted with metro staff as he travelled with state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar and WB LoP and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, in Kolkata.

Ahead of the metro ride, the Prime Minister was greeted by a huge crowd of supporters with loud cheers of 'Modi Modi' and ‘Jai Shree Ram’.

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As per officials, The under-river section of the tunnel is 520 metres long, and a train will take around 45 seconds to cross it. The ₹4,965-crore Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro's East-West Corridor is first transportation tunnel “under any mighty river in India”. The stretch also has the deepest metro station in the country -- the Howrah metro station.

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The Prime Minister also inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple connectivity projects worth ₹15,400 crores. He inaugurated several key metro and rapid transit projects across countries, marking a significant stride towards enhancing urban mobility and connectivity.

In addition to the underwater metro, PM also inaugurated the Kavi Subhash - Hemanta Mukhopadhyay Metro section and the Taratala - Majerhat Metro section, which is part of the Joka-Esplanade line. The Prime Minister also virtually flagged off several other important projects across the country which include Pune Metro's stretch from Ruby Hall Clinic to Ramwadi, the Kochi Metro Rail Phase I Extension from SN Junction Metro station to Tripunithura Metro station, the Agra Metro's stretch from Taj East Gate to Mankameshwar, Pune Metro and Esplanade Metro- Kolkata. 

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Meanwhile, later in the day, he is also set to lay the foundation stone, dedicate and inaugurate various infrastructure-related projects related to rail, road and petroleum and natural gas worth around ₹12,800 crore at Bettiah, West Champaran district in Bihar. Tomorrow, the Prime Minister will be visiting Srinagar, his first visit to Kashmir after his government abrogated the provisions of Article 370 of the Constitution. In Srinagar, he will be unveiling multiple development projects and will also address a public meeting.

(With inputs from agencies)