Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit to Kolkata to inaugurate three metro routes, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee took to social media on Friday to revisit her long association with the city’s metro expansion, first as Railway Minister and later as Chief Minister of West Bengal.
In a post on her X handle, Banerjee wrote, “Allow me to be a little nostalgic today. As the Railways Minister of India, I was fortunate in planning and sanctioning series of Metro Railway corridors in metropolitan Kolkata. I had drawn the blueprints, arranged the funds, initiated the works and ensured that the different ends of the city (Joka, Garia, Airport, Sector V, etc.) were connected by an intra-city Metro grid.”
She further emphasized that her role continued even after she became Chief Minister of West Bengal, highlighting the state’s contribution in facilitating the projects. “Later, as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, I had the additional privilege of taking part in execution of the projects. From the State, I arranged free land, paved roads, arranged rehabilitation of displaced people, removed impediments, and ensured all help in the execution of projects,” she said.
Administrative support
Banerjee also praised the coordination between state officials and implementing agencies during the execution of metro projects. “Our chief secretaries successively held series of coordination meeting to ensure integration of execution agencies. My planning as Railways Minister got fulfillment in my participation in execution,” she added.
Concluding her post, the Chief Minister described Kolkata’s metro growth as a personal milestone in her political journey. “Expanding Metro infrastructure has been a long journey for me. Allow me some nostalgia today,” she wrote.