PM visits UP and inaugurates 296 Km four lane Bundelkhand Expressway constructed at a cost of around Rs 14,850 crores
Expressway to give a major boost to connectivity and
industrial development in the region
“UP Expressway projects are connecting many neglected areas of the state”
“Every corner of Uttar Pradesh is ready to move forward with new dreams and new
resolutions”
“UP's identity is changing across the country as it is outperforming many
advanced states”.
“By delivering the projects before time, we are respecting people’s mandate and
their confidence”
“We should remember our freedom fighters and create an atmosphere of new
resolution by organizing various events in next one month”
“Everything that harms the country, affects the development of the country,
have to be kept away”
“Double-engine governments are not adopting the short-cut of freebies and
‘Rewri’ culture and delivering through hard work”
“Defeat and remove freebies culture from the politics of the country”
“Balanced development amounts to social justice”
The Prime
Minister, Narendra Modi today inaugurated Bundelkhand Expressway at Kaitheri
village in Orai Tehsil of Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh. Chief Minister of Uttar
Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, State Ministers, People’s representatives were among
those present on the occasion
Addressing the gathering, the Prime Minister
recalled the glorious tradition of hard-work, valour and cultural richness of
Bundelkhand region. He said “the land that produced countless warriors, where
the devotion for India flows in blood, the prowess and hard work of local sons
and daughters have always brightened the name of the country.”
Talking about the difference that will be
brought about by the new expressway, the Prime Minister said “the distance from
Chitrakoot to Delhi has been reduced by 3-4 hours by the Bundelkhand
Expressway, but its benefit is much more than that. This expressway will not
only give speed to vehicles here, but it will accelerate the industrial
progress of entire Bundelkhand.”
The Prime Minister emphasized that gone are the
days when such great infrastructure and facilities were limited to large cities
and selected areas of the countries. now, under the spirit of Sabka Saath Sabka
Vikas, even the remote and neglected areas are witnessing unprecedented
connectivity. He continued that because of the expressway, the region will see
many opportunities of development, employment and self-employment. He said that
connectivity projects in Uttar Pradesh are connecting many areas which have
been ignored in the past. For example, Bundelkhand Expressway passes through
seven districts, viz. Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and
Etawah. Similarly, other Expressways are connecting every nook and corner of
the state, leading to a situation where, “every corner of Uttar Pradesh is
ready to move forward with new dreams and new resolutions”. The Double-Engine
Government is working in that direction with renewed viogour, he said.
Regarding improving air connectivity in the
state, the Prime Minister said that new airports terminals came up in
Prayagraj. Kushinagar got new airport and work is going on in Jewar, NOIDA for
a new airport and many more cities are being connected with air travel
facilities. This will give a push to tourism and other development opportunities,
he said.
The Prime Minister asked the Chief Minister to
develop a tourism circuit around the many forts in the region. He also asked
the Chief Minister to organise fort related events and competitions.
The Prime Minister remarked that in the UP in
which the Saryu Canal project took 40 years to complete, in the UP where the
Gorakhpur Fertilizer Plant was closed for 30 years, in the UP where the Arjun
Dam project took 12 years to complete, in the UP where Amethi rifle factory was
lying with only one name board, in the UP where Rae Bareli Rail Coach Factory
was running only by painting the coaches, in that UP, now the infrastructure
work is being done so seriously that it has even outperformed good states. UP's
identity is changing across the country.
Modi remarked about the change of pace and said
that doubling of railway line increased to 200 Km from 50 km per year.
Similarly number of Common Service Centres in Uttar Pradesh increased from
11,000 in 2014 to 1 lakh 30 thousand Common Service Centres, today. From 12
Medical Colleges, UP, today has 35 medical colleges and work on 14 more is
underway, he added.
The Prime Minister noted that the stream of
development on which the country is moving today has two aspects at its core.
One is intention and the other is decorum (Irada and Maryada). We are not only
creating new facilities for the present of the country but are also building
the future of the country. Projects completed in Uttar Pradesh fully honour the
‘maryada’, limit of deadlines, he said. Projects like upgradion of facilities
and renovation at Baba Vishwanath Dham, Gorakhpur AIIMS, Delhi-Meerut
Expressway and Bundelkhand Expressway are the examples of this as it was the
present government which both laid the foundation and dedicated these projects
to the nation. By delivering the projects before time, we are respecting
people’s mandate and their confidence, he said. He exhorted the people to
organize many events in the run up to upcoming Independence Day. We should
remember our freedom fighters and create an atmosphere of new resolution in
next one month, he said.
The Prime Minister said the larger thinking
behind taking a decision and making a policy should be for further accelerating
the development of the country. Everything that harms the country, affects the
development of the country, have to be kept away. He said that ‘Amrit Kaal’ is
a rare opportunity and we should not miss this opportunity to ensure the
development of the country.
The Prime Minister brought attention to the
issue of culture of seeking votes by distributing freebies in our country. He
warned that this freebies culture is very dangerous for the development of the
country. People of the country have to be very careful with this ‘Rewri’ (freebies)
culture. Those with freebies culture will never build New Expressways, New
Airports or Defence Corridors for you. The people of freebies culture feel that
they can buy the votes by distributing freebies to the common man. He gave a
call to defeat this thinking collectively and remove freebies culture from the
politics of the country. He said that now the government is working on solid
projects of providing amenities like pucca houses, railway lines, roads and
infrastructure, irrigation, electricity projects away from this ‘rewri’
culture. “Double-engine governments are not adopting the short-cut of freebies
and delivering through hard work”, he said.
Speaking about the balanced development, the
Prime Minister said that as development reaches ignored and small cities, it
leads to realization of social justice. As modern infrastructure reaches much
ignored Easter India and Bundelkhand, this amounts to social justice. Backward
districts that were left to fend for themselves are now witnessing development,
this too is social justice. Toilets for the poor, connecting villages with
roads and tap water too is social justice, he said. The Prime Minister informed
that the government is working continuously to ameliorate another challenge of
Bundelkhand. He elaborated that the Government is working on Jal Jeevan Mission
to provide piped water to every household.
The Prime Minister listed Ratauli Dam, Bhavani
Dam, Majhgaon-Chilli sprinkler irrigation project as effort to take water of
Bundelkhand rivers to maximum number of the local people. Ken-Betwa link
project will change the lives of people of the region, he said.
The Prime Minister reiterated his request for
contribution by the people of Bundelkhand in the campaign for 75 Amrit Sarovars
in every district.
Referring to the role of Make In India campaign
in strengthening the small and cottage industry the Prime Minister underlined
the success of the toy industry. He said due to the efforts of the government,
artisans, industry and the citizens there has been a drastic cut in the import
of toys. This will benefit poor, deprived, backward, tribals, dalits and women,
he pointed out.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the
contribution of Bundelkhand in the field of sports. He said that the highest
sporting honour is named after the local son Major Dhyanchand. He also
mentioned Shaili Singh, International athlete from the region who brought
laurels in Under-20 World Athletics Championship.
Bundelkhand
Expressway
The government has been committed to enhancing
connectivity across the country, a key feature of which has been the work
towards improvement in road infrastructure. A significant endeavour towards
this was the laying of foundation stone for the construction of Bundelkhand
Expressway by the Prime Minister on 29 February, 2020. The work on the
Expressway has been completed within 28 months, an indication of the work
culture of New India where projects are delivered on time.
The 296 Km, four-lane expressway has been
constructed at a cost of around Rs 14,850 crores, under the aegis of Uttar
Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), and can later be
expanded up to six lanes as well. It extends from NH-35 at Gonda village near
Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district to near Kudrail village in Etawah district,
where it merges with the Agra-Lucknow expressway. It passes through seven
districts, viz. Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.
Along with improving connectivity in the region,
the Bundelkhand Expressway will also give a major boost to economic
development, resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs for the local
people. Work on the creation of industrial corridor in Banda and Jalaun
districts, next to the Expressway, has already been started.