A 'majboot' government put metro rail on fast track: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Thursday metro connectivity in the country has expanded by 400 km since 2014 when a "strong" government took charge at the Centre.

He said work on 800 km of metro lines is currently in progress in different parts of the country, adding projects of rapid transport system have created employment opportunities.

The PM said it was the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government which conceived the metro rail project to deal with traffic woes in cities.

He was addressing a gathering via video conferencing after inaugurating the 13.5 km first phase of Nagpur Metro connecting Khapri-Sitaburdi areas in the city.

"After a new government (led by the Congress) took over (in 2004), it could build only 250 km of metro network (till 2014). But since 2014, the connectivity has increased to 650 km and work is in progress on another 800 km," the prime minister said.

He said, "Since you replaced a 'majboor' (helpless) government with a 'majboot' (strong) one, metro connectivity rose from 250 km to 650 km, an increase of 400 km in a short span of time."