Gadkari, Rajnath Inaugurate Highway Projects Worth Rs 3300 Cr In Lucknow

Union Ministers Rajnath Singh and Nitin Gadkari inaugurated highways projects worth Rs 3300 crores in Lucknow, state capital of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. The projects included the much awaited Madiaon-IIM Crossing flyover today which is part of the national highways project. 

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the union defence minister, who is also a member of parliament from Lucknow, said that the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has set a goal of making Uttar Pradesh a one trillion dollar economy, and the state is working hard towards achieving this goal. “Today, seven expressways are being constructed in the state. Along with this, three international airports are operational in the state.”

The Defence Minister emphasised that India ranks third in terms of procurement. “The world's renowned financial firm Morgan Stanley has expressed confidence that in four years, i.e., by 2027, India's economy will become the third largest economy in the world,” Singh added. 

The Union Minister for Road and Highways Nitin Gadkari also addressed the gathering. He said that by 2024, UP will be given a gift of projects worth Rs 5 lakh crore. Talking about the forthcoming projects, Gadkari said that a six-lane green expressway highway is being built from Gorakhpur to Siliguri worth Rs 25,000 crores. The DPR of this project is being prepared. A Green Field Expressway from Gorakhpur to Shamli worth Rs 35,000 crores is also planned and tenders for the same will be floated soon. A new greenfield highway is being built from Varanasi to Kolkata amounting to Rs 25,000 crores. It will start from Chandauli and go to Kolkata via Bihar, Jharkhand and will help cover the distance from Varanasi to Howrah in seven hours.

The union minister added that the work of Rs 5000 crore Varanasi, Aurangabad, Chordaha Economic Corridor will be completed by December 2023. Ghazipur to Ballia Majhighat Green Field Linked Expressway at a cost of Rs 6000 crores to connect Ballia to Purvanchal Expressway is also under construction. 

Speaking on the occasion, the UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that if the infrastructure is poor, there will be no development and lack of development means lack of jobs for people. “In the last nine years, one can see that India is becoming self-reliant in the field of defence. The Defence Corridor of Lucknow is realising the vision of Make in India in Uttar Pradesh itself. When the BrahMos missile will be made in the node, no enemy will be able to cast an evil eye on the country,” Yogi said.