Prime Minister of India - Dr. Manmohan Singh

PM lays foundation stone for Bangalore Metro

"I am truly delighted to be in Bangalore and have greatly enjoyed these two days here. This visit carries a lot of significance as it signaled the beginning of work on a number of major infrastructure projects which would benefit the city of Bangalore immensely. Today, we are here to begin work on the single biggest initiative to improve public transport in Bangalore, the Bangalore Metro project.

Bangalore has a unique place in our nation. It has shown the way to progress and prosperity that the rest of the nation is now trying to emulate. Through the hard work of millions of people in this great city and through the visionary entrepreneurship shown by people like Narayanamurthy, Azim Premji, Nandan Nilekani and many others, this city has become not only the IT capital of the country but also a rival to the Silicon Valley in California. It would not be an exaggeration to say that the software earnings from Bangalore and other cities actually keep our Balance of Payments in a comfortable zone, despite sharp increase in the cost of petroleum products in recent years.

However, this city, whose skills are respected and feared across the world, has suffered from lack of adequate infrastructure. The famous Garden City has overcrowded roads, rising pollution and a congested airport. And while this has been happening, other cities have been catching up, investing for the future. This needs to be rectified and rectified fast enough. Ever since the UPA Government came into office, it has been our sincere endeavour to take up new projects which would propel Bangalore into the league of global cities. Work on the Bangalore airport finally took off last year after we pushed through all clearances. A few days ago, we decided to raise the level of the Bangalore Medical College to that of another AIIMS. In the morning, we began work on an elevated highway to the Electronic City. And we are now here to begin work on this very ambitious project, the Bangalore Metro. Earlier this week I launched the Mumbai Metro Project. Last year, when I inaugurated one phase of the Delhi Metro, I had said that the success of the Delhi Metro would be infective. Everyone who has traveled by the Delhi Metro wants one in his or her city. Today, there is a national resurgence in public interest in urban public transport. For many decades, only Mumbai and Kolkata had a reasonably spread out mass public transport system. Today, Delhi, Hyderabad and Chennai are developing modern public transport facilities. Bangalore is also now joining them and I hope this project, costing over Rs 6,000 crores, will become a milestone in Bangalore's progress. This project is a combined effort of the Central and State governments and as joint owners, we must ensure it finishes on time in the next three years. In fact, we must start planning for further expansion with an eye on the future needs of this vibrant city. I am sure, Metro planners are already giving thought to this matter.

Public transport is a national priority because we cannot afford excessive dependence on private transport in our cities. An efficient and well-functioning public transport system has the advantages of cost, energy conservation and environmental conservation. As I have said so often, our cities cannot continue to develop in a haphazard way. We urgently need new investment in world-class public infrastructure to make our cities more user friendly and livable. We have to improve the quality of living in cities and make it more livable. We have to invest in public transport, in roads with space for bicycles and pedestrians, in sanitation, in public parks, in water bodies, in airports, in railway stations, and many other amenities of modern life.

Our citizens expect all this from the Government. Our cities have to become more livable and people friendly. We have to take steps to enable people to commute easily, thus decongesting the city centre. All this can be possible only with rapid public transport which has to be the focus of our urban transport policies for years to come. The UPA government has reversed the trend of neglecting our urban areas. Urban areas and their renewal are one of the prime focus areas for the Central Government. We have launched the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission which will finance development of urban infrastructure and more importantly, basic services for the urban poor. Bangalore and Mysore are covered under this Mission. I urge the State Government to prepare futuristic plans and take advantage of this Mission to see that the quality of life in these cities improves. You need to invest looking at the needs two decades from now. You need to keep the costs of living, working and doing business in Bangalore low if the city is to continue to remain attractive as an world class investment destination. Every other city in India has Bangalore in its sights and in the absence of determined, positive steps, there is no guarantee that the future will be a continuation of the past success of this city. I want everyone to keep this in mind. In the extremely competitive and dynamic world we live in, nations, states and cities slide up and down rankings on many parameters. The most advanced states during British rule are no longer perceived as being so. The most advanced agricultural states need to become industrial states if they have to keep ahead. And Bangalore will need to keep reinventing itself for the future if it has to maintain its present lead. Along with Bangalore's development, we must also work for Karnataka's development. I do not see any contradiction between the two. Some try to divide our people by pitting one against another in the development debate. This is wrong. India cannot develop if only a few benefit from that process. We want both our urban areas and rural areas to develop. We want to build an India in which scientists and engineers, farmers and workers, artists and entrepreneurs can all find the space to express their creativity and enterprise. It is only through such an inclusive growth process can we build a prosperous, equitable and humane nation.

I want Bangalore to retain its global image as a city of enormous creativity and individual enterprise. At the same time, I want Bangalore to retain its historical reputation as a city of gentle and humane people. A city of concerned citizens. I sincerely hope Bangalore will also continue to flower and bloom as India's "garden city" , as the pride of all Kannadigas and of all Indians and a "wonder" for the rest of world.

I am confident that the Government of Karnataka will leave no stone unturned in ensuring that the city gets a world class metro rail system, properly integrated with other forms of public transport in the city. I also assure you that Government of India would extend all the necessary support needed in achieving this objective. I wish the Bangalore Metro Rail Project all success. I wish every citizen of this city and this enterprising State all success. May you be blessed in your efforts in years to come. "