President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the 11.3-km stretch of Namma Metro’s North-South on Saturday and stressed the need for better transportation to move people in the fast-growing country.

Congratulating the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for overcoming all the challenges and completing the project, the president said, “As we complete the first phase of the project, one can be satisfied that as in other places, the Metro in Bengaluru has proved to be a long term and viable solution to urban public transport,” he said.

Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu explained the details of the costs involved. “The cost of the project is Rs 13,845.01 crore. The government of India has released Rs 7,110.60 crore for Phase 1 out of Rs 8,762.69 crore and balance will be released as and when BMRCL requests for it,” he said.

Noting that the exponential growth of Bengaluru had put a strain on the infrastructure in the city, the minister said the Centre had already approved Namma Metro Phase 2 to make sure that people’s demands for transportation are met. “The additional network measuring 72 km would be added to the existing network at a total investment of Rs 26,405 crore,” he said.