PM Modi defends note ban, warns dishonest of more problems

Modi calls it a decisive step against corruption and black money

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday defended demonetisation, calling it a decisive step against corruption and black money, and claimed the problems of dishonest persons would increase after December 30.

“In 50 days, the plight of the honest will reduce, but the hardship of the dishonest will increase,” he said, at a public meeting after laying the founding stone for a slew of infrastructure projects — and the Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial — worth Rs 1.06 lakh crore proposed for Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.

He added, “A historic decision was taken on November 8.”

Modi had declared the old series Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes to be illegal tender on that day. “We won’t stop until the system is clean. The people of India will not accept corruption and black money,” he said on Saturday.

Some of the projects lined up include the strengthening of railway infrastructure in the city. The Rs 55,000-crore project includes strengthening railway infrastructure — elevated railway corridors between Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Panvel, Churchgate and Virar, and the Mumbai Urban Development Project Phase III.

This apart, other transport infrastructure projects consists of the 22-km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (Rs 17,843 crore), two metro lines, bridges and elevated road (Rs 30,000 crore). Modi also performed jal puja and bhumi puja for the Rs 3,600-crore Chhatrapati Shivaji memorial in the Arabian Sea.

The PM said the corrupt were trying their best to ensure demonetisation failed but they would not succeed. He added the people of Maharashtra had supported the demonetisation in recent civic body polls in which the Bharatiya Janata Party had won many seats.

He argued that vikas (development) should be sustainable and it should offer opportunity to the poor to empower themselves.

Modi said the proposed development projects would have a transformative impact on Mumbai’s infrastructure.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the government had proposed to increase metro rail network to 220 km from the present 11.4 km, and added that already Metro projects of 130 km were under various stages of implementation. He said that there will be the single ticket for all the Metro corridors, Mumbai rans Harbour Link project, elevated railway corridors.

The function on Saturday was organised in the run-up to the election to the Shiv Sena-BJP controlled Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation slated for February next year. Both BJP and Shiv Sena have proposed to contest the crucial poll on development issues.