Developing infrastructure has been one of the main priorities of the BJP governments. Whenever BJP forms a government, the connectivity projects get a major boost, be it the golden quadrilateral project of the Vajpayee government or the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme of the Modi government. The state governments under the BJP move on the same line, for example, governments of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh brought revolutionary changes as far as connectivity in their respective states is concerned. The Uttar Pradesh government under Yogi Adityanath also seems to be moving on the same path as in the first ever cabinet meeting in Kumbh it approved the construction of 600-km long Ganga expressway.
The expressway which is being touted as ‘world’s longest expressway’ will connect the western border of Uttar Pradesh with Southeastern city of Prayagraj. “It will be built on 6,550 hectares of land and cost approximately Rs 36,000 crore,” said Yogi Aditynath. The highway will be developed as four lanes and will later be expanded to six-lane. “The Ganga-Expressway will go through areas including Meerut-Amroha-Bulandshahr-Budaun-Shahjahanpur-Kannauj-Unnao-Raebareli-Pratapgarh and arrive at Prayagraj,” added Adityanath.
Moreover, the Yogi government did away with the tradition of holding cabinet meetings in Lucknow as the recent meeting was held, at least after five decades, outside the state’s capital. Last time, it was CM Govind Ballabh Pant’s government which organized a cabinet meeting in Nainital, a part of the then Uttar Pradesh. In the meeting, the Yogi government also announced the development of a 289-kilometer Expressway which will connect Etawah with Auraiya-Jalaun-Orai-Rath-Banda–Chitrakoot and contribute to the development of the Bundelkhand region.
Earlier, Yogi Government had announced the ambitious 354-km, 8-lane Purvanchal Expressway, linking Lucknow to Ghazipur for which foundation stone was laid by PM Modi on July 14, 2018, in Azamgarh. The ambitious highway will link central UP with eastern UP. Western UP is already connected through the 302 km long Agra-Lucknow Expressway while Agra and Delhi are connected through the 205km long Yamuna Expressway. Therefore, the Purvanchal Expressway will serve as a link between Delhi and the easternmost border of UP. After the completion of this project, the entire Uttar Pradesh would be crisscrossed in not more than 10 hours. The Purvanchal expressway will pass through the districts of Lucknow, Barabanki, Faizabad, Ambedkarnagar, Amethi, Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Mau, and Ghazipur.
Moreover, the Ganga Expressway announced by the Yogi government will connect major cities of Uttar Pradesh as it will pass through Allahabad, Rae Bareli, and Pratapgarh. In recent decades, the economy of Uttar Pradesh has not grown at a good pace due to lackluster administration of the Samajwadi and Bahujan Samaj Party. On the other hand, neighboring states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh registered the double-digit growth in the same time-frame given the good governance of NDA governments.
The latest infrastructure projects will immensely contribute to the economic growth of the state. The pro-business stance of the Yogi government has boosted investor’s confidence in UP and recently, many multinationals like Ikea, Vivo, and Samsung made investments in the state. Under the able leadership of Yogi Aditynath, the rule of law prevails in the state and terms like corruption and Gunda Raj have become totally obsolete.
