Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that better roads and infrastructure would improve transportation which in turn would help in improving tourism facilities and also the financial condition of the people of the state.
The Chief Minister was addressing a gathering after signing a transport memorandum of understanding with Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh governments here on Monday.
This MoU will improve inter-state bus services among J&K and HP. As per the MoU, J&K Transport Corporation will ply buses on three routes in UP up to a total distance of 1,846 km while in turn UPSRTC buses will travel 816 km on three routes. As per the agreement with HRTC, UP buses will ply on 19 routes and cover 3,594 km in HP while HRTC buses will ply on 27 routes in UP.
“People are willing to travel to distant places but they are not able to do so because of poor transportation facilities. The time has changed. The Bharatiya Janata Party government is doing effective work in transportation sector because of which it is now possible for people to travel to far off places at cheaper prices,” Yogi said.
He said that Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC) had opened new frontiers and the result was for everyone to see. “The state roadways is now a profitable organisation. It has signed MoUs with a few states and will sign similar agreements with more states. This will give a boost to tourism,” he said.
Yogi said people from Uttar Pradesh would now go to these regions and we would welcome guests from these states to UP. “This will not only increase interaction with people from other states but also expose the people of those states to the beauty of UP,” he added.
“Transportation and tourism are inter-linked. If inflow of tourists increases, employment at the local level will also increase. This will prevent exodus of people from villages to cities. In other words, villages will also witness economic progress,” he said.
The Chief Minister said that this 2019 was the year of Kumbh Mela and the UP government had invited people from all over the country to come and have a holy dip during the Kumbh. “We are expecting people from 6 lakh villages. Such inter-state bus services will help the people to safely travel to UP,” he said.
“The Kumbh is also an occasion to increase business. We invite traders and local artisans from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh to showcase their wares in this mega event. This MoU will help in exchange of culture and tradition among these states,” Yogi said.
Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satyapal Mallik said this MoU was possible only because of the positive attitude of the UP government.
“This time, J&K is peaceful. This is evident from the fact that this year over 86 lakh pilgrims visited Vaishno Devi temple,” he said.