Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur district on 18 December.
The 594-km long expressway will start near Bijauli village in Meerut, pass through Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and end at Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj.
"Maa Ganga is the source of all auspiciousness and progress. Similarly, the Ganga Expressway will also open new doors for UP's progress."Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
Costing over 36,200 crore rupees, this will be the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh yet, connecting its eastern and western regions.
The highway will also feature a 3.5-km-long airstrip for emergency take-off and landing of Air Force planes.
According to the PM, an industrial corridor has been proposed to be built along the expressway.
PM Modi said that besides helping with socio-economic development, the highways and newly built airports will also aid in "saving people's time," "increase convenience," and "adequate use of resources of Uttar Pradesh."
'First Income Tax, Then ED, Then CBI...'
Modi went on to take a dig at the Opposition parties by claiming that the building of highways and airports show how the taxpayers' money is being used properly.
Indirectly calling them corrupt, he said, "when mafias face the bulldozer, the bulldozer razes illegal construction. But the pain is felt by those who nurture them."
"You have seen how your money was being used before. But today, the money of Uttar Pradesh's people is being used for its development."Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
PM Modi dared the Samajwadi Party in his speech on a day when party President Akhilesh Yadav's close aides were raided in different parts of the state. He said that after the Income Tax Department, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will also follow suit.
He even attacked the opponents over the projects and schemes undertaken by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in India and in UP, and the criticism that it has received from the government. He said that "governments come and go" and people should be happy with the progress that the country has made "but some people don't think like this."
"There are some political parties that have a problem with the country's heritage and progress... problem with heritage because they have a vote bank headache. The problem with progress is these people cannot make the poor always dependent on them. These people have a problem with the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, the Ram temple in Ayodhya."Narendra Modi, Prime Minister
This project comes a month after Modi inaugurated the Purvanchal Expressway in UP's Sultanpur district.
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