PM Modi to inaugurate Meerut Metro, Namo Bharat train
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate the Namo Bharat train and Meerut Metro services here on Sunday and address a public meeting, officials said.
Ahead of the inauguration, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Prime Minister Modi will accelerate the development journey of 'New Uttar Pradesh' by flagging off the Meerut Metro and Namo Bharat train in Meerut.
"He will also gift various development and public welfare projects worth approximately Rs 12,930 crore to Meerut, which is witnessing modern connectivity," Adityanath said in a post.
"A golden chapter is going to be added today in the development journey of 'New Uttar Pradesh', he said.
"The prime minister will dedicate the 82-km-long Delhi-Meerut Namo Bharat Corridor to the nation and inaugurate the remaining sections of the RRTS. This step will set a new example for integrated urban and regional transportation. A hearty welcome and congratulations to the prime minister on the sacred land of Uttar Pradesh, he said.
The prime minister is slated to arrive at the Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad at 11 am. Adityanath will reach the helipad at Mohkampur near Shatabdi Nagar station by a state helicopter at 11.15 am.
Modi's helicopter is scheduled to land at the same helipad at 11.30 am, where he will be received by the chief minister.
At 12.30 pm, the prime minister will flag off the Namo Bharat train and the Meerut Metro from Shatabdi Nagar station. Thereafter, Modi and Adityanath will travel by metro up to Meerut South station.
From there, the prime minister will proceed by road to the public meeting venue at Mohiuddinpur, where he is expected to arrive around 1 pm.
Before addressing the gathering, Modi will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various development projects.
After spending about an hour at the venue, the prime minister will depart from the Mohiuddinpur helipad at around 2.10 pm for the Hindon Airport, officials added.
The inauguration forms part of the Centre's push to expand regional rapid transit systems aimed at reducing travel time, easing congestion and promoting sustainable urban mobility.
The Namo Bharat service is part of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor, designed to provide high-speed, high-frequency connectivity between Delhi and Meerut.
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5.8 magnitude quake hits Afghanistan killing 8
Kabul (AP): An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 rattled parts of northern and eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan late Friday, killing at least eight people in Afghanistan, authorities said.
The region is highly seismically active, and quakes have caused thousands of deaths in recent years. Friday's earthquake had an epicentre in the Hindu Kush mountain range, about 150 kilometres (90 miles) east of the Afghan city of Kunduz, according to the Euro-Mediterranean Seismological Center and the US Geological Survey.
Hafizullah Basharat, a spokesman for the Kabul governor, said eight people were killed and a child was injured when a house collapsed on the outskirts of the capital. He said all were members of the same family.
Kabul is roughly 290 kilometres (180 miles) southwest of the epicentre. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries from areas closer to the epicentre. The area is remote, and it can often take several hours before local authorities can relay information back to Kabul.
With the epicentre at a depth of over 180 kilometers, the quake jolted a wide swath of Afghanistan and Pakistan. In Pakistan, it was felt in the cities and towns of Islamabad, Peshawar, Chitral, Swat and Shangla, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries in Pakistan.
Afghanistan's Health Ministry spokesman Sharafat Zaman said Kabul and provincial health authorities had been put on alert.
Last August, a 6.0 earthquake that struck a remote, mountainous part of eastern Afghanistan killed more than 2,200 people, levelling villages and trapping people under rubble. Most casualties were in Kunar province, where people typically live in wood and mud-brick houses along steep valleys.
In November, a 6.3 earthquake struck Samangan province in northern Afghanistan, killing at last 27 people and injuring more than 950. It also damaged historical sites, including Afghanistan's famed Blue Mosque in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif, and the Bagh-e-Jahan Nama Palace in Khulm.
On Oct 7, 2023, a 6.3 quake followed by strong aftershocks in western Afghanistan killed thousands of people.
Impoverished Afghanistan often faces difficulty in responding to natural disasters, especially in remote regions. Many homes in rural and outlying areas are made from mud bricks and wood, with many poorly built.
M5.9 earthquake strikes Afghanistan-Tajikistan border region in Badakhshan. Widely reported at 08:42 pm, depth 171 km. No immediate casualty or damage reports from Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan, India or nearby areas. #sismo pic.twitter.com/Lhddad9Uwr
— GeoTechWar (@geotechwar) April 3, 2026
