Ganga E-way to bring east, west UP closer: PM
Emphasising on the importance of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said when UP and Yogi combine together it is UPYOGI, which is the need of the State today.
After laying the foundation stone of the 594-kilometre Ganga Expressway and the 3.5 km airstrip, the PM highlighted the achievements of the double-engine Government of Uttar Pradesh in terms of infrastructural growth taking place in the State.
“Uttar Pradesh is big not only in terms of population, but also area with distance between one corner of the state to another measuring around 1000 kilometres. So, the State requires the strength of a double engine Government to make rapid strides on the part of development,” the PM said.
Modi said the Ganga Expressway connecting eastern and western UP and passing through 12 districts namely, Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahar, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rai Bareli, Pratapgarg and Prayagraj will open new doors to development of the State.
Emphasising that high-speed connectivity is a prerequisite for development, the PM said, “This 600 kilometre Ganga Expressway to be constructed at an estimated cost of over Rs 36,000 crore will prove to be a boon for UP in terms of saving time of commuters, enhancing convenience, and ensuring optimum use of state’s resources for its development.”
According to the PM, the expressway will not only bring eastern and western UP closer to each other, but also shorten distance between Bihar and Delhi. He said it will benefit farmers, youths and labourers alike leading to setting up of a number of industries, especially food processing units.
He said the network of expressways being built in UP along with multi-modal connectivity through roads, waterways, new metro routes and new airports will give momentum to UP’s development and the day is not far away when the State will be one of the most developed States of India.
Taking a dig at the previous Governments, Modi said they misused State’s resources to fill their own coffers and that’s why most of their projects remained confined to papers, never seeing the light of the day. He also accused them of nurturing mafia and creating an environment of fear in society, which forced several people to flee the State.
Coming down heavily on the Opposition parties for neglecting heritage and the poor and the downtrodden for its vote bank politics, he said unlike them the present Government is committed to the uplift of the poor and conserving India’s rich heritage.
“Thirty lakh pucca houses have been provided to the poor by our government. Over 50, 000 pucca houses have been provided to the poor people in Shahjahanpur district alone. Besides, Modi and Yogi are committed to providing houses to all the poor people and a budget of Rs 2 lakh crore has already been approved for the purpose. Rs one lakh crore has also been approved for building rural infrastructure including cold storage facilities for farmers’ benefit”, he said.
“The Opposition questions forces. It questions even those scientists who developed two Covid vaccines in record time. The Opposition parties have problems with a temple in Ayodhya and Kashi because it does not suit their votebank politics,” the PM said.
The PM lauded Yogi for taking on the mafia and gangsters and restoring rule of law in the State.
Speaking on the occasion Yogi said before 2014, announcements of projects were confined to elections and those at the helm forgot about it soon after the elections were over.
However, things changed after Modi took over, he said, adding that the PM’s mission was to connect the entire country through road, rail and air routes and bring people closer by shortening physical distances between two places through expressways.
The CM said the expressway will connect eastern and western UP as the recently inaugurated Purvanchal Expressway connects Central UP with eastern UP. He said the expressways along with Bundelkhad Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Road and Balia Expressway will pave for rapid development of the state, giving a fillip to industrial activities while connecting hearts also.
He said the PM recently performed jalabhishek of Lord Shiva at Kashi Vishwanath Dham in order to honour faith and workers involved in the project. He said the PM has been working tirelessly for the welfare of the youth, farmers, women, and labourers for the important role played by them in the country’s growth.
Also present on the occasion were Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, Finance, Parliamentary affairs and Medical Education Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, Industrial Development Minister of UP Satish Mahana and Technical Education Minister Jitin Prasada among others.
