After last-minute cancellation of the inauguration of the Metro service from Civil Court to Swargate in Pune, Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) has threatened to hold a protest against the delay, adding that if the Metro failed to show urgency, they would throw it open to the public, The Indian Express reported.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was scheduled to inaugurate 11 projects, including the underground Metro rail route from Civil Court to Swargate, on Thursday. However, his visit was cancelled due to the forecast of inclement weather, with the city experiencing adverse conditions for several days.
The cancellation drew criticism from the Congress, which pointed out that the Prime Minister had previously held six events related to the Pune Metro. They accused the BJP of exploiting the Pune Metro project for political gain ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Following the indefinite postponement of the inauguration, city Congress chief Arvind Shinde and party legislator Ravindra Dhangekar criticised the decision, stating that it was unfair to delay the opening of the Metro service simply because it wasn’t being inaugurated by the Prime Minister.
”There was no need for the Prime Minister to inaugurate the same project the sixth time. He could have done it online. By organising the event during heavy rain and then cancelling it, crores of tax-payers rupees have been splurged by the BJP in this manner,” Congress MLA Ravindra Dhangekar said.
Maha Metro MD Shravan Hardikar has said that at the moment, the inauguration stands cancelled. “We will be waiting for further instructions in this regard (from PMO),” he added.
Hardikar expressed their eagerness to inaugurate the extended Metro line, stating, “We also want to inaugurate the new Metro stretch as early as possible for the convenience of commuters.”