SAJ: «Metro Express sera une réalité sous ce gouvernement»

Le Premier ministre sir Anerood Jugnauth affirme que le projet Metro Express, auparavant connu comme le projet métro léger, sera une réalité sous son gouvernement.

Sir Anerood Jugnauth l’a affirmé lors de son discours à l’Assemblée nationale mardi 16 août dans le cadre des débats sur le Budget 2016-17.

Pour le Premier ministre, le Metro Express adressera le problème qui perdure dans notre système de transport. Il a fait l’historique du projet métro léger en affirmant que c’était le gouvernement MSM-MMM qui avait décidé d’aller de l’avant avec le Light Rail Transit (LRT).

Selon sir Anerood Jugnauth, le gouvernement de Navin Ramgoolaam, entre 2006 et 2010, avait opté pour le Bus Rapid Transit System. Toujours selon le Premier ministre, le LRT a refait surface avec l’alliance de l’Avenir en 2010.

Sir Anerood Jugnauth se demande comment le coût du projet est passé de Rs 15 milliards à Rs 24,8 milliards en l’espace de trois ans ; précisant que la population saura bientôt ce qu’il s’est passé réellement.

Ci-dessous la partie du discours du Premier ministre sir Anerood Jugnauth consacré au projet Metro Express:

Madam Speaker, the former Prime Minister dares to say that LRT is his project and that my Government has had to backpedal after initially freezing it. Allow me, Madam Speaker, to enlighten the population on the LRT project.

Everybody knows that the MSM-MMM Government of 2000-2005 had decided to go ahead with the LRT project. However, when the Labour Party was in power in the 2006-2010 period, they preferred the Bus Rapid Transit system.

The Prime Minister and his Minister of Public Infrastructure at that time defended forcefully the BRT, both in this august assembly and outside. Then, for the 2010 general elections, the MSM insisted for the LRT project to be brought back on the national agenda as the party had made of LRT a lynchpin of its socio-economic transformation strategy.

I am informed that the then Prime Minister reluctantly accepted that the LRT be mentioned in the electoral manifesto of the then l’Alliance de l’Avenir. Following the general elections, the LRT project was revived by the then and present Minister of Finance. There had been a few meetings where it had been found that the cost would not exceed 15 billion Rupees.

Despite all efforts to persuade the then Prime Minister to opt for the LRT project, he kept on insisting on BRT, until the time he made an official visit to Singapore. On his return, he said he had been seduced and started defending LRT with zeal. I will tell you in a moment, to what extent the seduction reached. But, when the cost figures were known, the Nation was shocked.

From 15 billion Rupees, the cost escalated to 24.8 billion Rupees, nearly 10 billion Rupees more in a mere three year lapse of time. At that cost the LRT project was simply not affordable. And when this Government came to power, we decided to freeze it on a question of affordability. It is only when I had been made aware in March this year of certain information and new elements as regards the cost of the project that I gave the green light for the project to be revisited.

I draw attention to the word AFFORDABLE mentioned in the Budget Speech. The Metro Express project, I insist, have been revived and will be implemented as we now have guarantee on affordability.

In due course, the genuine cost will be known and then the population will discover what happened during the seduction exercise that started in Singapore and was pursued in Mauritius.

I heard the former Prime Minister saying so passionately at a public gathering that he brought to Mauritius a lady Rottweiler from Singapore to pilot the project. I sought for information and understood the real reason why the former Prime Minister suddenly got seduced by LRT. I have information on a particular ‘tunnel experience’. Madam Speaker, I will refrain from going any further on that.

The Metro Express will become reality under this Government. That is more important than anything else.

And history always records the achievers for the common good of a whole nation, not the greedy scoundrels who loot for their selfish interests.