The infamous ‘Noida jinx’ kept UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav from visiting Noida and Greater Noida as he inaugurated and laid the foundation of 22 development projects to the tune of Rs 4357 crore from his official Kali Das Marg residence in lucknow on Wednesday.
The long-believed jinx that any CM who visits Noida or Greater Noida during his regime would lose in the next polls, has kept most CM away from the industrial twin cities, which is the pride of UP.
At a programme at his residence, the CM announced the world’s largest ‘Samajwadi Park’ in Noida-Greater Noida. “land has been identified for the world’s biggest 2500 acre park between Noida and Greater Noida and it will be known as Samajwadi Park. We, the Samajwadi people, always promote park and cycle, so that people remain healthy,” the CM said.
Admitting that he has only toed the path shown by his predecessors of not going to Noida or Greater Noida to inaugurate projects, Yadav said, “Noida is known as a huge financial hub yet politicians stay away from this city because of the prevailing jinx,” he said.
Akhilesh’s fear is not wholly unfounded as his father had a taste of this ‘jinx’ first hand. SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, had visited Noida as UP chief minister in 1995 and lost the polls held immediately after.
The jinx has in the past caught up with several CMs including Veer Bahadur Singh, Narayan Dutt Tiwari, Kalyan Singh and Mayawati, who lost their chairs soon after visiting the industrial city.
In fact, Mayawati, during the last stages of her five-year tenure as Chief Minister, had tried to break the jinx by visiting Noida in 2011 to inaugurate the Dalit Smarak Sthal. Within a few months, her party lost power in the 2012 UP Assembly elections.
However, Akhilesh said that he will go to Noida and break the jinx once he is re-elected as CM of the state for a second time next year.
Meanwhile, the developmental projects inaugurated by the CM through video-conferencing are the trial-run of Delhi Metro Rail between Botanical Gardens, Noida and Kalindi Kunj (Delhi) and foundation of two extensions of Metro Rail to Greater Noida.
Other projects include Noida- Greater Noida AC city bus service, international cricket stadium in sector 21A, 35 km long cycle track, underground parking in sector 95, six-lane elevated road, underpass in sector 62 and 63, Nari Niketan in sector 34, girls inter college in sector 51 in Hoshiyarpur and Samajwadi Aawas (houses) in Sectors 117,118 and 112. The foundation was also laid for elevated road in Sector 148 and 140.