Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Pune today was cancelled due to the heavy rain situation in the city. The PM was scheduled to inaugurate Pune Metro's District Court to Swargate underground stretch. He was also slated to lay the foundation stones for the metro route from Swargate to Katraj and an elevated corridor from Pimpri-Chinchwad to Nigdi. Along with this, he was also going to launch various development projects worth over ₹22,600 crore.
Meanwhile, despite the cancellation of the PM's visit, Punekars are urging the Pune Metro to open the District Court to Swargate stretch, giving huge relief to commuters from Pimpri-Chinchwad. Currently, if a commuter has to travel from Pimpri-Chinchwad to Swargate, it takes more than an hour. During rains, it takes more than two hours to reach Swargate. However, with the opening of this stretch, the travel time of the commuters will come down drastically.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), a user wrote, "I sincerely hope that in spite of PM visit cancellation that @metrorailpune new stretch is thrown open to public today. No need for a full-fledged inauguration function for a tiny 3.5 km stretch anyway. It would be a shame if they hold back starting service on this stretch."
"Despite PM Modi's Pune visit being cancelled, @metrorailpune should still open the District Court to Swargate stretch. You don't need the PM to come and inaugurate a 3.64 km stretch," commented another user.
The District Court to Swargate stretch includes three stations: Kasba Peth (formerly Budhwar Peth), Mandai, and Swargate. The distances between the stations are as follows: District Court to Kasba Peth (0.85 km), Kasba Peth to Mandai (1 km), and Mandai to Swargate (1.48 km).
