Chennai / Tirupur: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, today inaugurated the final segment of the Phase-I of Chennai Metro Rail, which runs for 9.5 km underground between Washermenpet and AG-DMS.
At an event in Tirupur, the PM and the CM jointly launched it via video conferencing, marking the completion of the Phase-I of the project established at a cost of Rs 19,058 crore.
This phase covers a total area of 45 kms with 32 stations. There are 19 underground air-conditioned stations, 13 elevated stations and platform screen doors for passenger safety. Modi also launched a slew of government projects, including facilities at ESIC hospital at KK Nagar in the city.
Deputy Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Housing And Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, Union Minister for State for Finance and Shipping Pon Radhakrishnan, Tamilnadu Legislative Assembly Speaker P Dhanapal, Minister for Fisheries D Jayakumar and Minister for Industries M C Sampath were present at the Metro Rail inauguration ceremony.
Modi also attended a mega rally organised by the BJP in the industrial town. The entire Tirupur and roads leading to the town were full of BJP flags, besides banners and cut-outs welcoming Modi. Despite MDMK general secretary Vaiko staging a black flag demonstration and a section of social media ‘activists’ tweeting with the hashtag #GoBackModi, BJP members made grand arrangements for the Prime Minister’s visit.
While the party’s and Modi’s supporters trended the hashtag #TNWelcomesModi and #BharatMocksModi.
More than two lakh BJP cadres from eight Lok Sabha constituencies in Tamilnadu attended the public rally, said Sate unit general secretary of 
the party Vanathi Srinivasan.
Cadres from Nilgiris, Pollachi, Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode, Salem, Namakkal and Karur attended the meet, she said.
Stating that BJP has a strong presence in the region, she recalled that in the last Assembly elections they managed 10 per cent votes from these eight constituencies. “And we came second in Pollachi and Coimbatore Lok Sabha seats pushing DMK to third position.”
“Various concessions given to MSMEs in this region, reduction of GST on knitwear industry from 18 per cent to 5 per cent, sops for agriculturists and development of rail and air routes from these regions to various other places are being welcomed by the people here,” she said.