Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the 594-kilometer-long Ganga Expressway, one of the country’s longest expressways, in Hardoi district, taking Uttar Pradesh to new heights of development. Addressing a gathering on the occasion, the Prime Minister said that just as the sacred Ganga River has been the spiritual and agricultural lifeline of Uttar Pradesh for thousands of years, this modern expressway will also prove to be a new lifeline for the state’s industrial and economic development. Developed by the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), this high-speed corridor will connect the western, central, and eastern regions of the state. The project’s biggest achievement is the significant reduction in travel time; after its inauguration, the journey between Meerut and Prayagraj, which previously took 12 hours, will now be reduced to just six hours. The expressway begins in Meerut and reaches Prayagraj via Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, and Pratapgarh.
This expressway is also crucial from a strategic and defense perspective, as it includes the construction of a dedicated three-and-a-half-kilometer-long airstrip in Shahjahanpur district. This airstrip will be used for emergency takeoffs and safe landings of Indian Air Force fighter jets. The development of industrial corridors along the expressway is expected to provide an unprecedented boost to logistics, agricultural marketing, and regional trade. Experts believe that this corridor will not only boost the tourism sector but also create millions of direct and indirect employment opportunities across the region. The Prime Minister described this project as a symbol of the changing face of Uttar Pradesh and the good governance of the “double-engine” government.
Before inaugurating the expressway in Hardoi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the ancient religious city of Varanasi this morning. He performed puja in the temple’s sanctum sanctorum for approximately 20 minutes, following all the rituals, and sought the blessings of Lord Shiva. Upon leaving the temple complex, BJP leaders and local representatives presented him with a trident and a damaru as a symbol of tradition. The Prime Minister held the trident with reverence and interacted with the devotees present within the complex. This combination of temple visit and expressway inauguration simultaneously demonstrates India’s cultural heritage, on the one hand, and its commitment to developing modern infrastructure. In the future, this expressway will not only enhance ease of doing business but will also prove to be a milestone in Uttar Pradesh’s goal of becoming a trillion-dollar economy.