During the opening ceremony of the first underwater metro line in India, which took place in Kolkata on March 6, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over the event. As far as the entire nation was concerned, the metro line was the very first of its type. A new era of environmentally responsible urban transportation began with the occurrence of this event, which took place at the beginning of the year. This event marked the beginning of a new era.
The immersion of Prime Minister Modi in the metro ride from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan, which was joined by a group of ecstatic youngsters who shared the journey with the nation's leader, came out to be the most vital component of this significant occasion.
As part of the inaugural event, which was intended to promote several different metro projects across the country, the Esplanade-Howrah Maidan piece, which is an essential component of the East-West Corridor, was brought to the attention of the general public. However, the audience was unaware of the piece that was being discussed. Additionally, in addition to that, several additional metro projects were going to be shown to the general public later on.
This particular segment is not only an indication of the engineering prowess that India possesses, but it also boasts the very first underwater transit tunnel that the country has ever created. Because the Hooghly River is the only river in the country that is situated beneath this tunnel, it became the very first tunnel of its kind to be constructed in the country. This structure, which is 4.8 kilometers in length, was constructed by the construction team at a hefty cost of ₹4,960 crore. The length of this structure is 4.8 kilometers.
In the course of the discourse that took place while the metro was traveling through the underwater tunnel, Prime Minister Modi participated in conversation with both the crew of the metro and the children. Both of these encounters began at the same time as the one that came before them.
When Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, arrived at the airport in the hours immediately up to his departure on the journey, he was greeted by a rowdy crowd of devoted followers that was waiting for him. The entire region was able to hear the echo of screams of “Modi Modi” and “Jai Shree Ram” throughout the entire region.
During the occasion, it was also acknowledged that the construction of the 1.25-kilometer section of the Joka-Esplanade line that extends from Taratala to Majherhat had begun. For this particular stretch of road, it is anticipated that a total expenditure of ₹520 crore was incurred. A further event that took place during the celebration was the beginning of the building of the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay segment of the New Garia-Airport line. The cost of this stretch was estimated to be 1,430 crore, which was the amount that was anticipated.
The event, which aimed to reduce the amount of traffic congestion and provide a smooth link, brought to light the one-of-a-kind characteristics of the segment that connects Howrah Maidan and Esplanade. By drawing attention to the distinctive qualities of the part, this objective was successfully fulfilled. The fundamental reason for the significance of this part is that it is the first transportation tunnel in India to be constructed beneath any major river. This is the reason why this section plays such an important role.
There has been a significant enhancement in the connection of India's metro system, as evidenced by the fact that the total cost of metro projects that have been published across a variety of cities in India amounts to approximately ₹15,400 crore. The fact that the total amount of these projects has been declared is enough evidence to demonstrate this point.