Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, May 31: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the first phase of the Indore metro project through video link from Bhopal marking the beginning of the first metro rail service in Madhya Pradesh.
Speaking at the Women Empowerment Mega Conference in Bhopal on the occasion of the 300th birth anniversary of Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar, Mr Modi said, “Madhya Pradesh has received its first metro today. Indore has already earned global recognition for its cleanliness. Now, the city will also be known for its metro.”
Commercial operations started on Saturday on the approximately 6 km ‘Super Priority Corridor’ between Gandhi Nagar Station and Station No 3 of the `Super Corridor’, officials said. The phase, built at a cost of ₹1,520 crore, has five metro stations, all named in the honour of prominent women — Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Terminal, Maharani Lakshmi Bai Station, Rani Avanti Bai Lodhi Station, Rani Durgavati Station and Veerangana Jhalkari Bai Station.
The inaugural metro ride from Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar Terminal was reserved only for women passengers including a group of sanitation workers. At the inauguration event held in Indore, Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu said, “Prime Minister Modi has given a major gift to Indore in the form of metro rail service. Indore has become the 24th city in the country to launch metro services.”
Madhya Pradesh Urban Development Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya said the city has witnessed the evolution of public transport from bullock carts and horse carriages to buses. “Now, with the launch of metro rail, this is a historic moment,” he said.
The foundation of the Super Priority Corridor was laid on September 14, 2019. A trial run on the corridor, located in a newly developed part of the city, was conducted in September 2023. While metro stations in the city are designed to accommodate six-coach trains, currently three-coach trains with a capacity to carry 980 passengers are in operation.
A total of 31.32 km of metro network is planned for Indore, the commercial capital of Madhya Pradesh, with an estimated cost of ₹7,500.8 crore. The complete network will have 28 stations, serving the city, which currently has a population of over 35 lakh.
Mr Modi also took part in a ‘Mahila Sashaktikaran Maha Sammelan’ in Bhopal on the 300th birth anniversary of legendary queen Ahilyabai Holkar. During the programme at Jamboori Maidan in Bhopal, he also virtually inaugurated the Datia and Satna airports and laid the foundation stone of various developmental projects.
Ahilyabai Holkar, the revered queen of the Holkar dynasty in 18th-century Malwa, is remembered for her exceptional governance, commitment to social welfare, and contributions towards culture and spirituality. The PM released a postal stamp and a ₹300 commemorative coin dedicated to Ahilyabai. He also honoured the artist, who has made a significant contribution to tribal, folk and traditional arts, with the National Devi Ahilyabai Award on the occasion.
