The Hindu : National : Public transport a priority, says Prime Minister

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Dec 20, 2004

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National

Public transport a priority, says Prime Minister

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, DEC. 19. Exhorting planners to think big like the architects of Delhi Metro and noting that the 21st century belonged to Asia in general and India in particular, the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, today declared that the Government proposed to launch a national urban renewal mission to ensure public transport and public amenities to the people, particularly those from the weaker sections of society.

Stressing the need for developing public infrastructure and investing in public transport, sanitation and public parks to make cities more liveable, Dr. Singh said, "We have to take steps to enable people who work in the city to be able to live away from it and this can only become possible with rapid public transport."

Stating that people cannot be forced to become dependent on costly private transportation as it will only increase energy consumption and discriminate against those who cannot afford it, the Prime Minister said this will also contribute to over-crowding on the roads and result in air and noise pollution.

Earlier, the Prime Minister accompanied by his wife, Gursharan Kaur, and two other family members, travelled on the new underground corridor of the Metro system from Old Secretariat to Civil Lines and then to Delhi University, where the inaugural function was held. He hoped that the infrastructure project would make life more liveable in this burgeoning mega city.

During the journey, Dr. Singh personally bought the tickets for his family and spent some time in the driver's cabin, learning about the ultramodern features of the train — the main being the automatic operation system which minimises the role of the driver in starting the train, applying brakes in an emergency and opening and closing the doors.

Then in the presence of the Union Urban Development Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad; the Lieutenant-Governor of Delhi, B. L. Joshi; the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit; the Delhi Transport Minister, Haroon Yusuf; the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Chairman, Anil Baijal; and the DMRC Managing Director, E. Sreedharan,

Dr. Singh formally inaugurated the service on the four-kilometre section by unveiling a plaque and giving the green signal by pressing a lever.

The Prime Minister dwelt at length on the need for world-class public transport and said urban public transport was a "national priority.''

"It is not only environment-friendly and people-friendly, but will also reduce our national dependence on imported energy." Stating that the pace of social infrastructure would be hastened, he said the Government was committed to this national task.

Advanced system

After travelling by the completely air-conditioned Metro, which has become a showcase of various advanced systems, Dr. Singh said: "We now have a service that can compete with the best in the world.'' He hoped that the users would value the service and make sure that it was maintained well and run efficiently.

Noting that it was the late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, who took steps to modernise the infrastructure in the Capital, he said the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, would like new steps taken so that the city was ready to host the Commonwealth Games in 2010 and, hopefully, the Olympics in 2016.

The project, Dr. Singh said, had also given rise to indigenisation which had reduced dependence on imported material. Pointing to the construction of coaches at the Bharat Earth Mover Limited in Bangalore, he said this had reduced their production cost.

Stating that disruption of normal life on account of construction was minimal, he said Mr. Sreedharan had performed the role of a "pace setter'' and hoped that the effort could be repeated in other Metro cities.

Impressed with the quality of the infrastructure created by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and with the fact that the line had been completed seven months ahead of schedule, he said: "They have set an example for all of us to follow.''

Noting that the general attitude should change from "chalta hai'' (it will do) to "India can do it,'' Dr. Singh hoped that the model would be replicated elsewhere in the country.

He also expressed gratitude to the Japan Bank for International Cooperation for extending financial support to the project and hoped that the Delhi Metro project would be the harbinger of increased cooperation between India and Japan in the infrastructure sector.

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