Bengaluru (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the much-awaited "Yellow Line" of Bangalore Metro Rail, which is expected to ease traffic congestion in several heavily congested corridors connecting the city's IT hub.

The Prime Minister also took a metro ride from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Electronic City metro station and he interacted with students during the journey.

The over 19-km route from RV Road to Bommasandra of Bangalore Metro Phase-2 project worth around Rs 7,160 crore has 16 stations, officials said.

With the opening of the yellow line, the operational metro rail network in Bengaluru will increase to over 96 km serving a large population in the region.

According to officials, the new facility is expected to ease traffic congestion in several heavily congested corridors like Hosur Road, Silk Board Junction, and Electronics City Junction.

Noting that "3 train sets" have arrived for the yellow line and the fourth will arrive this month, Deputy CM and Minister in-charge for Bengaluru development, D K Shivakumar had recently said, three trains will operate now at an interval of 25 minutes.

The frequency would be increased to 10 minutes later.

A large number of people who had gathered on both sides of the road greeted the Prime Minister with "Modi, Modi" slogans and showered petals despite rain as his convoy made its way towards the Ragigudda station from KSR Bengaluru (city) railway station.

Modi too responded by waving at them from inside his car.

Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, Union Minister of State, Shobha Karandlaje, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, among others were present.

 

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New Delhi: A visit by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, to Chandigarh on Monday has triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders and social media users, raising questions about national security and foreign policy.

On X, Ambassador Gor announced his visit, writing, “Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army.”

Soon after, opposition voices questioned the broader implications of the visit. Congress Kerala, in a post, commented, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings. Didn't they say then ‘Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, writing, “Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that.”

She further added, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own government. US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”

The visit comes against the backdrop of the growing US-India defence partnership.

Writer and political analyst @rajuparulekar commented on ‘X’, “East India Company is back!”

“Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in india?” asked another user.

Several X users expressed concerns over the appropriateness of the visit.

One asked, “Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in India?” Another wrote, “Why an ambassador visiting our army places? To talk to Chandigarh lobby for F-35?”

“We have completely sold Indian sovereignty. Rothschild the evil Bankers will now control NSE. Modi sold Bharat Mata to Trump . And now American imperialist is visiting our army command . Scary,” wrote another user.

“The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?,” opined another.

On Sunday, Gor welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), highlighting efforts to expand the growing US-India defence partnership.

In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the U.S.-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”

On Monday, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr visited the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command along with the American envoy Sergio Gor. The delegation was briefed on the formation’s capabilities, its past operations, and future plans.

The American delegation also visited Bengaluru, where they met three start-ups, two in the space sector and one in defence, and participated in an Indo-US conference.