Modi’s opening Pune Metro Rail shows poor Understanding of Public Transport in India — by Vidyadhar Date — 06/03/2022 https://countercurrents.org/2022/03/modis-opening-pune-metro-rail-shows-poor-understanding-of-public-transport/ It was in the tone of desperation of a salesman who knows the product is expensive and does not meet real requirements of people. In his appeal he stressed the word Bade Log, means apparently , motorists, and appealed to them to use the Metro.
A string of failures of the monumentally expensive Metro system in several cities. In Maharashtra the Nagpur metro has proved to be an absolute disaster with very poor ridership.
The fact is the government is actually betraying the people when it comes to real needs of public transport.The real need is for buses which are much more flexible than the rigid Metro network. Buses are also much cheaper. By international specifications cities should have sixty buses per one lakh population. And in India people get only 11 buses per lakh population. That is the great betrayal...As for Mumbai Metro, the state exchequer and consequently all citizens are going to pay a heavy price for the inefficiency and arrogance of MMRDA Maharashtra metropolitan region development authority. It is not a question merely of Kanjur Marg or Aarey as a site for the yard for one Metro line. The problem is much larger. The authorities have embarked on this massive project apparently without any planning for land or even funds. How else does one explain that land is yet to be acquired for other Metro lines and their future is now seriously in doubt.