PM Modi inaugurates 594-km Ganga Expressway in UP
Hardoi/Lucknow (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway, a mega infrastructure project connecting Meerut to Prayagraj.
The PM reached Hardoi district around noon and inaugurated the expressway with the touch of a button in presence of Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, among others.
The high-speed corridor is expected to significantly boost connectivity across Uttar Pradesh, while giving impetus to industrial investment, logistics, agricultural marketing and regional balance.
Adityanath, in a post on X, said the state's development journey would gain new momentum with the inauguration of the expressway from Hardoi.
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He described the six-lane (expandable to eight) expressway as a "lifeline" connecting villages, farmers, entrepreneurs and youth, and said, "it would play a key role in accelerating development and bridging distances".
Union Minister and BJP's Uttar Pradesh president Pankaj Chaudhary said it is of the longest expressways in the country and a gift of modern infrastructure to the state.
The expressway connects 12 key districts of Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj
and is expected to significantly reduce travel time while ensuring faster, safer and more convenient movement, it stated.
Developed under a public-private partnership model, the project has been constructed as a six-lane expressway with provision for expansion to eight lanes, with a design speed of 120 kmph, it added.
One of its key features is a 3.2-km-long airstrip near Shahjahanpur for emergency landing of Air Force aircraft. The expressway is also equipped with an Intelligent Traffic Management System (ITMS), CCTV surveillance, emergency call boxes, ambulances and patrolling units to ensure safety, according to the statement.
It stated that integrated manufacturing and logistics clusters (IMLCs) are being developed along the corridor, with facilities such as warehouses, cold storage units and food processing hubs aimed at attracting investment and generating employment.
The expressway will also be connected to other major corridors, including the Purvanchal, Agra-Lucknow, Bundelkhand and Gorakhpur Link expressways, creating a vast interconnected network, the statement said.
Authorities said the project is expected to generate large-scale employment opportunities and play a crucial role in advancing Uttar Pradesh's goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy, it added.
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People are voting fearlessly in West Bengal this time: PM Modi
Hardoi (UP) (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said voters
are casting their vote in West Bengal this time in a "fearless atmosphere", which was unimaginable in the past six or seven decades.
He also asserted that the assembly poll results on May 4 will further strengthen the resolve of a developed India.
Voting is underway in 142 constituencies of West Bengal in the second and final phase of polling.
Addressing a gathering after the inauguration of the Ganga Expressway here, Modi said today marks an important day in the festival of democracy.
"Voting for the second phase is underway in Bengal, and reports indicate a massive turnout, with people stepping out in large numbers just like in the first phase. Images of long queues at polling stations are flooding social media, reflecting the enthusiasm of the people to exercise their democratic right," he said.
"What we are witnessing in Bengal today is unprecedented which was difficult to imagine in the past six to seven decades, a fearless environment where people are voting without fear," he said.
The prime minister said this is a powerful symbol of the country's Constitution and the strengthening of democracy.
"I express my gratitude to the great people of Bengal for being so aware of their rights and participating in large numbers," he said.
With several hours of voting still left, the prime minister urged the people of Bengal to continue participating in this democratic festival with the same enthusiasm.
Modi said in the recent Bihar Assembly elections, the BJP and NDA achieved a historic and decisive victory.
"Just yesterday, results of local body elections in Gujarat showed that the BJP secured victories in nearly 80 to 85 percent of municipalities and panchayats.
"The results on May 4 will further strengthen the resolve of a developed India and will infuse new energy into the pace of development of the country."
The first phase of polling for 152 seats -- out of the 294-member West Bengal assembly -- was held on April 23.
The counting of votes for assembly polls in Kerala, West Bengal, Puducherry, Assam and Tamil Nadu will take place on May 4.
