PM Modi inaugurates India's first underwater Metro service in Kolkata, ahead of his public address in Barasat

Ahead of his public address in Barasat on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro's East-West corridor, marking India's first underwater Metro service. The Prime Minister also laid down the foundation stones of several development projects amounting to Rs. 15,400 crore in Kolkata.

Aimed towards connecting vital areas of the city, the 4.8-km stretch of the Howrah Maidan-Esplanade section of Kolkata Metro's East-West corridor, costing ₹4,965 crore, features India's deepest Metro station at 30 meters underground in Howrah. In addition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off several train services in Kolkata, including the Kavi Subhash-Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Taratala-Majerhat Metro sections. The Prime Minister was also seen interacting with a bunch of school-going students while he took a metro ride on the newly inaugurated route.

The Prime Minister is slated to address a public gathering in Barasat later today. Barasat happens to be in the same North 24 Pargana district as Sandeshkhali, the island village that the state and the central government are at loggerheads over. PM Modi has hit out at the ruling Trinamool Congress government during his past addresses in the state over the Sandeshkhali issue and accused TMC of protecting prime accused Sheikh Shahjahan. The Prime Minister is slated to meet the women of Sandeshkhali, who took to the streets demanding the arrest of Sheikh Shahjahan and his aides leveling charges of land grab and sexual harassment under coercion.​​