LUCKNOW: Dedicating the newly inaugurated Bundelkhand Expressway to the people of the region, chief minister Yogi Adityanath said that this ‘vikas ka expressway’ would usher in a new era of development for what has been the most backward areas in the state.
Saying that the new expressway would add a completely “new dimension to the economy of the Bundelkhand region and the entire state of Uttar Pradesh”, the CM said that it would be responsible for boosting economic activity, ensuring better connectivity between Bundelkhand and the rest of the state and onward to the national capital and will also open up new possibilities for the people of Bundelkhand.
Addressing a gathering in Kaitheri village in Orai tehsil of Jalaun district, from where Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the project on Saturday morning, the CM said, “BJP has worked hard to turn Bundelkhand into ‘heaven on earth’ by implementing several development projects, including the defence corridor, in this region. It has also provided ease of living by addressing the various issues faced by the region and restoring rule of law.”
With the dreams seen by residents of Bundelkhand over the past several years now getting fulfilled under the PM, Yogi Adityanath said, they have a sense of pride. To provide opportunities to the youth of the area and address the problem of migration out of this region, two important nodes of the defence corridor have also been located in Jhansi and Chitrakoot and the expressway will help in developing these two nodes better.
The CM said that over the past two years, when the rest of the country and even the world were facing restrictions due to the Covid-10 global pandemic, UP ensured that work on the 296-km four-lane expressway, constructed at a cost of around Rs 14,850 crore, did not stop. The expressway, which will pass through seven districts and connect with the Agra- Lucknow expressway, was completed in record 28 months. It will bring down travel time from Bundelkhand to Delhi from around 10 hours to just about six hours.
Among other major changes brought about in Bundelkhand which has resulted in massive improvement in the way of living is the availability of water. The CM said that steps had been taken to end the problem of droughts and water scarcity in Bundelkhand. “Through various projects such as Arjun Sahayak dam, the region is progressing towards permanently ending its issues related to water scarcity. Today, clean and hygienic potable water is being made available to households in the region through the ‘Har Ghar Nal’ scheme,” the CM said.
