PM Modi Launches Ganga Expressway, Unveils Rs 6,350 Crore Projects in Varanasi

A Mahila Sammelan will be organised on Tuesday evening in Varanasi, and during the event, PM Modi is expected to highlight women-centric schemes of the double-engine government.

During the visit, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of over 112 projects worth around Rs 5,300 crore. These include 13 sewerage and water supply schemes under AMRUT 2.0, a 500-bed multi-super-speciality hospital at Shri Shiv Prasad Gupta Divisional District Hospital and the construction of market complexes and office spaces at Bhojuveer and Sigra, among others.

The Prime Minister will also flag off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains: Banaras-Pune (Hadapsar) and Ayodhya-Mumbai (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus).

On April 29, the Prime Minister will perform darshan and pooja at Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. Thereafter, he will travel to Hardoi to inaugurate the Ganga Expressway. He will also address the gathering on the occasion, according to an official statement.

The Ganga Expressway is a 594-kilometre-long, 6-lane (expandable to 8 lanes), access-controlled greenfield high-speed corridor, built at a total cost of around Rs 36,230 crore.

The expressway traverses 12 districts - Meerut, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, and Prayagraj-thereby connecting Western, Central, and Eastern regions of Uttar Pradesh through a single seamless high-speed corridor.

The project is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj from the current 10-12 hours to approximately six hours, enhancing ease of movement and efficiency in transportation.

A key highlight of the project is the provision of a 3.5 km-long Emergency Landing Facility (airstrip) in Shahjahanpur district. This dual-use infrastructure enhances national security preparedness and adds strategic value beyond economic benefits.

The Ganga Expressway is envisioned as a major economic corridor, with the development of Integrated Manufacturing and Logistics Corridors over approximately 2,635 hectares across the 12 districts along its alignment. The expressway will reduce logistics costs, improve supply chain efficiency, and boost manufacturing competitiveness, said the statement.

Improved connectivity will provide farmers with direct access to urban and export markets, facilitating better price realisation and strengthening rural incomes, it said.

The project is also expected to boost tourism, unlock new economic opportunities and generate direct and indirect employment opportunities across the region.

- IANS