Hardoi, 30 April. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the 594 km long Ganga Expressway. It is one of India’s largest greenfield infrastructure projects, completed in less than 3.5 years. This expressway connects Meerut in western Uttar Pradesh to Prayagraj in eastern Uttar Pradesh. Under this project, 464 kilometers or about 80 percent of the total route has been developed by Adani Road Transport Limited (ARTL), which is the road construction arm of Adani Enterprises Limited (AEL).

For decades, eastern Uttar Pradesh has remained relatively backward despite its population and economic potential. Now Ganga Expressway will open new doors for the development of this area. Better connectivity, shorter distances and direct connectivity with other developing areas of the state will play an important role in changing the face of the region. With this project, the travel time from Meerut to Prayagraj will reduce from about 11 hours to just 6 hours. This will create new opportunities for business, industry and employment. Modern technology has also been used on the expressway. To increase road safety, AI based camera systems have been installed in it, which will help in preventing accidents and making traffic safe through advanced alert system.

A 3.5 km long dedicated Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) has also been developed on the expressway in Shahjahanpur district. It has been prepared for emergency landing of Indian Air Force aircraft, which will also strengthen the strategic capability of this corridor. This six-lane expressway passes through 12 districts, which can be expanded to eight lanes in the future. This will make access to markets, hospitals, educational institutions and tourist places easier. Common people will get faster access to essential services, while businesses will benefit greatly in terms of freight transportation and market access.

Adani Road Transport Limited had deployed more than 12,000 workers during the peak of construction work. The remaining portion of the expressway is developed by IRB Infrastructure. According to estimates of the Uttar Pradesh government, this expressway will generate logistics savings of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 crore every year. Around 3 lakh employment opportunities will be created in the next 10 years and will contribute more than Rs 1 lakh crore to the state’s GDP. Also, the speed of freight movement will increase and inventory costs will reduce in various regions.

This main corridor will promote faster transportation of agricultural products and other commodities. Farmers and small businessmen will get better market access, which is likely to give them better prices for their produce. Ganga Expressway will strengthen the industrial connectivity of Uttar Pradesh. Apart from this, spiritual tourism will also get a big boost due to easy access to religious places like Prayagraj and Varanasi. This will strengthen local employment and business. It is estimated that this project will benefit more than 8 crore people.

The Uttar Pradesh government is developing 11 industrial corridors in the 12 districts connected to the expressway – Meerut, Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj, which will generate lakhs of jobs in the future. Apart from this, religious tourism will also get a new impetus. Better connectivity will ease access to seven major tourist destinations including Garhmukteshwar, Kalkidham, Belhadevi, Chandrika Shaktipeeth and Triveni Sangam, thereby boosting the regional economy.