First phase of Lucknow Metro to be flagged off tomorrow: Commercial run to start from Wednesday

Lucknow, Sep 4: The much awaited first phase of Lucknow Metro services will be inaugurated here tomorrow, jointly by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. However, the public services will commence from September 6. Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC)Managing Director Kumar Keshav told here today that the inaugural function would be held at the Transport Nagar station from where the first train would be flagged off. The dignitaries would also travel on the train on its inaugural run. All the UP ministers, along with former state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and several other politicians, have been invited for the function. Country's ' Metroman' E Sreedharan, who is the main architect and principal adviser of the Lucknow Metro, would also be present during the inaugural run. However, the previous Samajwadi Party government has questioned the role of the BJP leaders in the inaugural run of the Metro when they were not anywhere when the project was taken up. SP MLC and former Adviser, NRI and Externally Aided Projects Department to UP government Madhukar Jetley, who was behind the Lucknow Metro claimed here today that it is totally a UP government project and the then UPA-11 government had given its approval. The foundation stone for the Lucknow Metro was done in December 2013 and the trial run was flagged off on December 1,2016 by the then UP CM Akhilesh Yadav. Mr Jatley said that the Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh nor the BJP has any role in the Metro but now they are rushing to take the credit. However, SP president and former CM Akhilesh Yadav too made some critical remark on the Lucknow Metro and the involvement of the BJP leaders through is tweets. "Lucknow Metro will make the life of the people of the city easy and they will remember the team and Shreedharan who had fulfilled my dreams. Thanks and congratulations to everyone," he said in his tweet yesterday. However, two days back Mr Yadav had tweeted,"Before sitting on the fabulous Lucknow Metro made by the Samajwadi Party, the UP government should get shelters made for 5,000 stray animals in the city." UNI