Modi inaugurates Delhi stretch of Dwarka Expressway, UER-II; vows ‘model Capital'

Hindustan Times

a day ago

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway and the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II). Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Delhi section of the Dwarka Expressway and the Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II) (PMO)
'Our government has worked on this at multiple levels. In the past 11 years, travel has become easier in Delhi NCR,' Modi said while addressing the gathering, which was also attended by Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Delhi chief minister (CM) Rekha Gupta, and Haryana CM Nayab Singh Saini.
In his 20-minute speech, PM Modi touched on a wide range of issues including a self-reliant and secure India, impending GST reforms, and reiterating his 'vocal for local' pitch.
Referring to his Independence Day speech from Red Fort, Modi said that Delhi will be turned into a development model for the rest of the world. 'Friends, when the world looks at India, it first looks at our capital, our Delhi. That is why we have to make Delhi a model of development, where everyone feels that yes, this is the developed capital of India,' he said.
He added that while Delhi already has one of the world's largest metro networks, it also boasts a modern rapid rail system like Namo Bharat connecting it to other nearby states. The UER project, he said, is helping Delhi get rid of legacy waste from garbage mounds.
'To make Urban Extension Road, lakhs of tonnes of waste have been put to work by reducing the mountains of waste, and it has been done scientifically,' Modi said, adding that the government is working to alleviate the problems of residents near the Bhalswa landfill.
Praising the Rekha Gupta-led government, he said, 'I was told that in such a short time, 16 lakh metric tons of waste have been removed from the Yamuna. Not only that, in a very short time, 650 Devi Electric Buses have been started in Delhi.' He added that the number of electric buses in Delhi will soon cross 2,000, calling them the 'key to a clean and green Delhi.'
Attacking the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) governments, Modi said Delhi was thrown into neglect, but the new government under the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will address the residents' long-standing problems. 'You must remember, a few months ago, the people of Delhi and Haryana were told that the people of Haryana are the biggest enemies of Delhi. The people of Haryana are mixing poison in the water of Delhi,' Modi said.
'Delhi and the whole of NCR have been freed from that kind of politics, and governance is the identity of the BJP governments. For the BJP governments, the people are above all. You are our high command,' he added.
Modi said that while the Haryana government under Saini has 'given government jobs to millions of people with complete transparency,' slum residents of Delhi are getting permanent homes, and electricity, water, and gas connections are being provided by the Gupta-led government.
He said that a record has been set in the country in the past 11 years, not just in Delhi-NCR. 'New railway stations are being built. Modern trains like Vande Bharat are being built. Airports are being constructed in small cities.'
'The kind of infrastructure the country needed, the speed at which it needed to grow, that did not happen in the past,' he said, alleging that the budget for infrastructure was much lower under previous governments.
'The projects that were supposed to be sanctioned were not completed for years. In the last 11 years, we have increased the budget for infrastructure by six times. Now, there is a rush to complete the projects quickly,' Modi said.
Touching on his Independence Day promise, Modi mentioned major reforms under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. 'This Diwali, with the GST reforms, the country's citizens are going to get double bonuses. Every family will benefit from this. The poor and middle class will benefit,' he reiterated.
PM Modi said that khadi had once reached the stage of extinction, but 'in one decade, the sale of Khadi increased by seven times.' He added that people adopted khadi with the 'vocal for local' mantra.
He urged Indians to buy goods made in India and shopkeepers to stock India-made products. 'With your one step, the country will benefit, your family and your children will also benefit. With everything that you sell, workers of the country will benefit and your money will remain in India,' he added.