UP NEWS : Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today laid the foundation stone and inaugurated development projects worth over Rs 1,028 crore in Lucknow. These include the inauguration of Munshi Puliya and Khurramnagar flyovers. The polytechnic-munshi puliya 4-lane flyover has been constructed at a cost of Rs 170 crore and the Indiranagar-Khurramnagar-Kalyanpur flyover at a cost of Rs 270 crore.
Speaking on the occasion, the Defence Minister said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is growing rapidly and by 2027, it will become the third largest economy in the world. He recalled Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s emphasis on urban and rural infrastructure and pointed out that between 2014-2024, Rs. 28.52 lakh crore was invested in this sector, which was only Rs. 1.78 lakh crore during 2004-2014
In view of the increasing traffic in Lucknow, new highways and flyovers were necessary. He said the city should be developed as a world-class infrastructure and business hub. Also, the proposal for the new Charbagh-Basantakunj route of Lucknow Metro has been sent to the central government, on which work will start soon.
Apart from this, 104 km of Outer Ring Road, 15 flyovers and underpasses have been built in the city, and 6-lane work of Lucknow-Kanpur highway has been completed. The 67 km Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway will be completed in the next 3 months, making travel between the two cities possible in just 40 minutes.
Along with Gomti Nagar railway station, many other railway stations have been renovated, Lucknow airport is getting expanded and the airstrip is being extended up to 700 meters, which will increase the convenience of international flights.
The Union Defence Minister said that after the consecration of Shri Ram Lalla in Ayodhya and the construction of Kashi Vishwanath Dham in Varanasi, there has been a significant increase in the number of international religious tourists, which has also given impetus to the economic growth of Lucknow and Uttar Pradesh. This development has led to rapid expansion of real estate, warehousing, hotel industry and medical facilities. Several new industries are being set up in the Defence Industrial Corridor, and the BrahMos missile manufacturing will be inaugurated in May-June. The State Capital Region announced by the State Government will further boost economic progress.
Reiterating the Prime Minister’s resolve to make India a Vishwaguru, the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister said that the development of water, power, transport and communication infrastructure will help the country become a 5 trillion dollar economy. He pointed out that poor infrastructure increases the logistic cost, which affects the investment of industries. The logistics cost in India is 16%, which is targeted to be brought down to 9% in the next two years, which will increase exports and provide employment to crores of youth.
He said that Uttar Pradesh is changing rapidly and under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, capital investment in agriculture, industry and trade is being increased. In the next two years, the national highway network of Uttar Pradesh will be better than the US, which will reduce the logistic cost and benefit the trade and industries of the state. The Prayagraj Mahakumbh alone has contributed Rs 3 lakh crore to the state’s GDP, giving a boost to the hotel, taxi and restaurant industries.
The Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway has been built with the latest German technology (AIMGC), which can lead to immediate recognition of the quality of construction. It will be inaugurated by the Prime Minister in the next four months. So far, projects worth Rs. 1.25 lakh crore have been completed for the development of Uttar Pradesh, while projects worth Rs. 1.50 lakh crore are under construction and projects worth the same amount are in the pipeline. Work on the Varanasi-Kolkata and Gorakhpur-Siliguri highways will also begin soon.
He approved several new projects for infrastructure development of Uttar Pradesh, including Agra-Aligarh, Rae Bareli-Jaunpur, Bareilly bypass, Mungerabad Shahpur bypass, Prayagraj-Varanasi high speed corridor and new Naini bridge on Yamuna. Under the CRF scheme, various road and bridge projects have been sanctioned, the work of which has been entrusted to the Uttar Pradesh State Bridge Corporation.
The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways announced that the Engineering College flyover will be sanctioned in this financial year. Also, orders have been given to prepare DPRs for the 10-km-long 2-lane stretch of Kisan Path connecting Sitapur Road and Sultanpur Road to Ayodhya Road under the Lucknow Ring Road.
To develop Uttar Pradesh as a growth engine, 9 greenfield expressways are being built at a cost of 70 thousand crore rupees. The main among them are:
- Varanasi-Kolkata (620 km, 6-lane) expressway – to be completed by December 2027.
- Bhopal-Kanpur (440 km, 6-lane) Economic Corridor – to be ready by December 2026.
- Delhi-Dehradun (216 km) highway – to be inaugurated in next 2-3 months.
- The Agra-Gwalior (90 km) highway is being constructed at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore.
- Rae Bareli-Prayagraj highway (Rs 3200 crore) – has been completed.
- Ghazipur-Majighat-Ballia (135 km) Greenfield Highway – to be completed by December 2025.
- Apart from this, 6 Greenfield Ring Road projects have been approved at a cost of Rs 25,000 crore, which include Kanpur,
- Prayagraj, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Pratapgarh.
Religious and cultural development:
DPR of Braj 84 Kosi Parikrama (Rs 4500 crore) is ready, construction will start soon.
Shri Ram Van Gaman Marg (Ayodhya to Chitrakoot, Rs 11,000 crore) – to be completed by 2026.
Shri Ram Janaki Marg (Ayodhya to Janakpur, Nepal, Rs.15,000 crore) – to be completed by 2028.
Sarnath, Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Kushinagar, Kapilvastu and Shravasti routes have been 4-laned under the Buddha Circuit (Rs 22,000 crore).
In Uttar Pradesh, 16 ropeways have been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore, which include Varanasi, Prayagraj, Vrindavan, Saharanpur and Mahoba.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that projects worth more than Rs 1000 crore have been given to make Lucknow a modern city, including the inauguration of two important projects of National Highway and other projects worth Rs 600 crore.
The double engine government is developing Lucknow as a metro city. Kisan Path, International Airport, Green Corridor and International Convention Center are being developed rapidly. Aero City and AI City projects are also being promoted.
Works done for Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025:
More than 50 crore devotees took the holy dip in the month of March.
Rail and air connectivity has been strengthened (40 regular flights operated).
Prayagraj Ring Road, Lucknow-Raebareli-Prayagraj 6-lane connectivity, and flyovers have been constructed.
The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways approved all the proposals for the Mahakumbh event.
With the efforts of the double engine government, the infrastructure, religious places and industrial development of Uttar Pradesh are being taken to new heights.
In view of the importance of Mahakumbh 2025, the Uttar Pradesh government took a collective dip of faith at Triveni Sangam on 22 January 2025. The need for a new bridge parallel to Shastri Bridge at Prayagraj and another bridge parallel to Signature Bridge over river Yamuna at Naini was felt. Every year Magh Snan, every 6 years Kumbh and every 12 years Mahakumbh is held here, which promotes tourism and development.
The Chief Minister said that 50-55 crore people will participate in Mahakumbh 2025, which will strengthen the economy of Uttar Pradesh and the country. It is estimated that the Mahakumbh will benefit the economy of Uttar Pradesh by about Rs 3 lakh crore. Rs 6,000 crore has been spent on the event, of which Rs 1,500 crore is for organising the Mahakumbh and the rest for the development of Prayagraj.
If this event brings an economic benefit of Rs 3 lakh crore to the state and strengthens the economy of the state, then it is extremely important for the people of Uttar Pradesh and ‘New Uttar Pradesh of New India’. With the inspiration of the Prime Minister, Uttar Pradesh is emerging as a growth engine.