 "Akhilesh keen on Metro Rail in Modi's constituency")
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav today said he was keen to get Metro Rail project in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency of Varanasi.
Addressing an infrastructure summit here, he said a Metro Rail project could not fructify without the cooperation of the state government.
The Lucknow Metro Rail project is already underway and is projected to be operational before the 2017 UP polls.
"We want the Metro Rail project in Varanasi also and are working on the Detailed Project Report (DPR)," he added.
Stressing on urban mass transport, he said Metro Rail was already present in Ghaziabad and Noida.
On December 30, 2014, the UP cabinet had approved the proposal of Metro Rail projects in Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra and Meerut.
Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) managing director Kumar Keshav had already visited these towns to hold preliminary discussions with officials of the respective development authorities and RITES.
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Yadav added if the Lucknow Metro Rail project could not be completed before polls, the opposition parties would attack his government for failing to deliver on its promises.
Lucknow Metro, Lucknow IT City, Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Lucknow international cricket stadium are some of his flagship projects, which are all projected to be operational before UP polls in early 2017.
Meanwhile, Yadav stressed infrastructure was the fundamental requirement for development. "Everyone wants uninterrupted power supply, however, none realise that without proper infrastructure it is not possible."
He informed the state government had decided to provide maximum power supply in the state, even if that means to procure additional power.
"The power department has done good job this summer, however, they have the task of ensuring 22-24 hours power supply in urban areas and 16 hrs power supply in villages," he sounded to power department officials.
Yadav noted the Agra-Lucknow Expressway would become a milestone in UP's development and provide for faster movement of agricultural produce.
"The expressway is getting completed in record time, but the media is not interested in reporting such positive stories," he lamented adding the news channels would rather report his public chiding by his father and ruling Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.
"The news channels are running stories about 'baap-beta' (father-son), which is okay as it gives us free publicity and airtime," he retorted with a smile.