PM Modi inaugurates India's first underwater metro line in Kolkata
Kolkata, Mar 6 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated Kolkata Metro's Esplanade-Howrah Maidan section, which passes below the mighty Hooghly river through the country's first underwater transportation tunnel.
He also took a ride on a metro train from Esplanade to Howrah Maidan and interacted with school students during the journey passing through the tunnel, which is a testament to the country's engineering capabilities.
He returned to the Esplanade station through the same route, and was accompanied by Leader of the Opposition in the state Suvendu Adhikari during the trip.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee did not attend the programme.
The 4.8-km Esplanade-Howrah Maidan stretch, which is a part of the East-West Corridor, has been built at a cost of Rs 4,960 crore, officials said.
The PM also inaugurated the 1.25-km-long Taratala-Majherhat section of the Joka-Esplanade line. It has been built at a cost of Rs 520 crore, they said.
The Rs 1,430-crore Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay section of the New Garia-Airport line was also inaugurated from the function at the Esplanade metro station.
The Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay stretch, which is 5.4 km long, will bring the areas in the south-eastern parts of Kolkata on the metro map, officials said.
These sections will help decongest road traffic and provide seamless, easy and comfortable connectivity, a statement said.
The Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of the East-West corridor has the first transportation tunnel under "any mighty river in India". It passes under the Hooghly river, on the east and west banks of which Kolkata and Howrah are situated.
The stretch also has the deepest metro station in the country -- the Howrah metro station, at 32 metre below the ground.
The East-West metro corridor, the construction for which commenced on April 14, 2009, has suffered several delays owing to various issues, including accidents at Bowbazar in central Kolkata.
The stretch between Howrah Maidan and Esplanade is the second section of the corridor, in which commercial operations would begin. With this, only the Esplanade-Sealdah stretch of the line is left to be completed.
Metro Railway general manager P Uday Kumar Reddy had earlier said it is targeting June-July this year to start commercial operation on the entire line.
Completion of the project has suffered delays owing to an aquifer burst at Bowbazar on August 31, 2019, leading to severe ground subsidence and the collapse of a number of buildings there and two more water leakage incidents at the same site in 2022 during tunneling and construction work.
The Salt Lake Sector V to Sealdah stretch of the East-West Metro corridor is commercially operational at present.
Of the total 16.6 km length of the line, the underground section is 10.8 km long between Howrah Maidan and Phoolbagan, while the rest is elevated.
The Majerhat metro station of the Taratala-Majerhat section is a unique elevated metro station across railway lines, platforms and a canal, the statement said.
The 6.5-km section between Joka and Taratala of the Joka-Esplanade line is already operational.
Along with these, the PM unveiled metro projects in various cities of the country. These projects are cumulatively worth around Rs 15,400 crore, officials said.
#WATCH | West Bengal: Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacts with school students as they travel in India's first underwater metro train, in Kolkata. pic.twitter.com/lQye0OnuqP
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2024
#WATCH | India's first underwater metro rail service in Kolkata set to be inaugurated by PM Modi on 6th March pic.twitter.com/ib5938Vn8x
— ANI (@ANI) March 5, 2024
#WATCH | West Bengal: Visuals of India's first underwater metro train to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kolkata today. pic.twitter.com/VxJ0LNlVk1
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2024
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
345 Indian fishermen stranded in Iran return home via Armenia
New Delhi (PTI): A group of 345 Indian fishermen, who were stranded in Iran amid escalating regional tensions, returned to India via Armenia on Saturday, officials said.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar thanked his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan for assistance in return of the Indian nationals.
The Indian nationals arrived in Chennai this evening, the officials cited above said.
The circumstances that led to them being stranded in Iran were not immediately known.
"Thank FM @AraratMirzoyan and the Government of Armenia for facilitating the evacuation of Indian fishermen today from Iran, through Armenia to India," Jaishankar said on social media.
Over 1,500 Indian nationals have left Iran through land border crossings in Armenia and Azerbaijan since the start of the West Asia conflict over a month ago.
"A group of Indian fishermen, stranded in Iran, are returning home via Armenia today; their flight is expected to reach India this evening," a government statement said.
It said the Ministry of External Affairs continues to closely monitor the evolving situation in the West Asian region, with the safety, security and welfare of the Indian community being accorded the highest priority.
It also made a mention of five Indians being injured in Abu Dhabi on Friday.
According to Abu Dhabi authorities, the Indian nationals were among the 12 people injured by debris from an intercepted missile.
"In an attack in Abu Dhabi, five Indian nationals were injured; four have been discharged, one remains under treatment," the Indian government's statement said.
It said the Indian mission in Abu Dhabi is extending "full" assistance and coordinating with local authorities, adding that their flight is expected to reach India this evening.
