Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated the Atal Setu -- Atal Bihari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu -- India's longest sea bridge connecting south Mumbai with Nhava-Sheva in Navi Mumbai. The bridge has been built at a cost of Rs 17,840 crore. Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, along with Deputy Chief Ministers Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar, other officials were present during the inauguration event. Delighted to inaugurate Atal Setu, a significant step forward in enhancing the ‘Ease of Living’ for our citizens. This bridge promises to reduce travel time and boost connectivity, making daily commutes smoother, PM Modi said.
Atal Setu | All you need to know
- Atal Setu is a six-lane trans-harbour bridge. It's 21.8 km long with a 16.5 km long sea-link.
- The bridge will provide faster connectivity to the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport and reduce the travel time between Mumbai and Pune.
- It will also improve connectivity between the Mumbai Port and the Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
- The foundation stone of the bridge had been laid by Prime Minister Modi in December 2016.
- "(Earlier) People were fed up with mega projects getting stalled and had given up hope that such projects would ever be completed. It was Modi's guarantee that the country will change," the prime minister further said.
- The Atal Setu was an important part of his government's "Viksit Bharat Sankalp" (resolve to make India a developed country), he said, adding that not just the country but the whole world was "looking at the bridge."
- Everyone is marvelling at the Atal Setu, Modi said, adding that the amount of steel used in its construction would suffice to build four Howrah Bridges and six Statues of Liberty.
- The sea bridge brings Raigad, Pune and Goa closer to Mumbai, Modi said, while also thanking the Japanese government for its financial assistance for the project. "I remember my close friend (former Japan prime minister) the late Shinzo Abe (at this moment) as we both had resolved to complete the project at the earliest," he said.
- "We cannot see the Atal Setu from a narrow perspective. It is a symbol of the aspirations which India had dreamt in 2014. When I got the responsibility of leading (the BJP) in the elections in 2014, I visited the Raigad fort and spent time at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's samadhi (memorial) there, seeking blessings to convert those aspirations into reality. The dreams are coming true in ten years," Modi said.
- "Atal Setu is the reflection of Viksit Bharat which will see development of all, where distances will decrease," he added. The MTHL project was conceived several years ago but it was completed by the BJP government, the prime minister noted, adding, "My government has prioritised the welfare of the poor as well as (execution of) mega infra projects because of our `niyat' (intentions) and `nishtha' (commitment)."
PM Modi also laid the foundation stone of an underground road tunnel connecting the Eastern Freeway in eastern Mumbai to Marine Drive in south Mumbai. The 9.2 km tunnel will be built at a cost of more than Rs 8,700 crore.
With inputs from PTI
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