Ganga Expressway will bring in several boons to UP, cut distance between Bihar and Delhi, Modi said

SHAJAHANPUR, Uttar Pradesh, Dec 18 (The CONNECT) – After ‘double engine’, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has coined a new expression for UP election campaign.

“UP+Yogi is very UPYOGI” (Useful), said Prime Minister Narendra Modi praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

After the foundation stone ceremony 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 1,000 kilometres. So, the state requires the strength of a double engine government to make rapid strides on the part of development,” Modi said.

PM Modi said that the Ganga Expressway connecting eastern and western UP and passing through 12 districts -  Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahar, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rai Bareli, Pratapgarg and Prayagraj -has immense possibilities and will open new doors to development of the state.

The Prime Minister remarked that Maa Ganga is the source of all auspiciousness and all progress. Maa Ganga gives all the happiness, and takes away all the pain. Similarly, Ganga Expressway will also open new doors of progress for UP. It will be a source of five boons for the state, said the Prime Minister, referring to the network of expressways, new airports and railway routes. First boon - saving people's time. Second boon- Increase in convenience and ease of people. Third boon- Proper use of resources of UP. Fourth boon- Increase in the capabilities of UP. Fifth boon - all-round prosperity in UP.

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 added that it will benefit farmers, youths and labourers alike leading to setting up of a number of industries, especially food processing units.  

He said that 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 the country. 

Taking a dig at the previous governments, Modi said that they misused state’s resources to fill their own coffers and that’s why most of their projects

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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.

The Prime Minister criticized the mentality of begrudging the work for heritage of the country and also for the development of the country. He said such outfits wanted to keep poor and common people dependent on them.  “These people have a problem with the construction of a grand dham of Baba Vishwanath in Kashi. These people have a problem with the construction of a grand temple of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya. These people have a problem with the cleanliness campaign of Ganga ji. It is these people who question the army's action against the masters of terror. These are the people who put the Made in India corona vaccine made by Indian scientists in the dock”, the Prime MInister said. He recalled the abysmal law and order situation in the state that changed for the better in recent times.

“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 the armed 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 vote bank politics.”

The PM lauded CM Yogi for taking on the mafia and gangsters and restoring rule of law in the state.  

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that 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 PM Modi took over, as mission was to connect the entire country through road, rail and air routes and bring people closer by shortening physical distances between one place to the other through expressways and also bridging cultural gaps.