On 16th July 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated to the people the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway from Chitrakoot to Etawah made at the cost of Rs 14,850 crore. The expressway passes through seven districts and the inauguration program was held at the toll plaza at Kaithri village in the Jalaun district.
Bundelkhand Expressway will ensure seamless connectivity and further economic progress in the region. https://t.co/bwQz2ZBGuZ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 16, 2022
While addressing a public meeting on this occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “Today I am getting a special pleasure in giving this gift of the expressway to the land of Bundelkhand which produced countless knights, in whose blood the devotion of India flows, where the valor and hard work of the sons and daughters have always brought laurels to the country.”
जिस धरती ने अनगिनत शूरवीर पैदा किए,
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2022
जहां के खून में भारतभक्ति बहती है,
जहां के बेटे-बेटियों के पराक्रम और परिश्रम ने हमेशा देश का नाम रौशन किया है,
उस बुंदेलखंड की धरती को आज एक्सप्रेसवे का ये उपहार देते हुए मुझे विशेष खुशी मिल रही है: PM @narendramodi
He further said, “The distance from Chitrakoot to Delhi has been reduced by 3-4 hours due to the Bundelkhand Expressway, but its benefit is even more. This expressway will not only speed up vehicles here, but it will also speed up the industrial progress of the entire Bundelkhand.”
बुंदेलखंड एक्सप्रेसवे से चित्रकूट से दिल्ली की दूरी तो 3-4 घंटे कम हुई ही है, लेकिन इसका लाभ इससे भी कहीं ज्यादा है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2022
ये एक्सप्रेसवे यहां सिर्फ वाहनों को गति नहीं देगा, बल्कि ये पूरे बुंदेलखंड की औद्योगिक प्रगति को गति देगा: PM @narendramodi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi further said, “In UP, where the Saryu canal project took 40 years to be completed, in UP, where the Gorakhpur fertilizer plant was closed for 30 years, in UP, where the Arjun Dam project took 12 years to complete, in UP where the Amethi Rifle Factory was lying with just one board, in UP where the Rae Bareli rail coach factory was only painting the coaches, in that same UP, now the infrastructure is being worked out so seriously, that it has outperformed even the other good states. The identity of UP across the country is now changing.”
जिस यूपी में रायबरेली रेल कोच फैक्ट्री, सिर्फ डिब्बों का रंग-रौगन करके काम चला रही थी,
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2022
उस यूपी में अब इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर पर इतनी गंभीरता से काम हो रहा है, कि उसने अच्छे-अच्छे राज्यों को भी पछाड़ दिया है
पूरे देश में अब यूपी की पहचान बदल रही है: PM @narendramodi
Emphasizing his vision of development, Narendra Modi said, “At the core of the path of development on which the country is running today, there are two aspects. One is the intention and the other is dignity. We are not only creating new facilities for the present of the country but also forging the future of the country.”
विकास की जिस धारा पर आज देश चल रहा है उसके मूल में दो पहलू हैं।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2022
एक है इरादा और दूसरा है मर्यादा।
हम देश के वर्तमान के लिए नई सुविधाएं ही नहीं गढ़ रहे बल्कि देश का भविष्य भी गढ़ रहे हैं: PM @narendramodi
Slamming the opponents and their freebies schemes, PM Modi said, “Attempts are being made to bring culture in our country where votes are cast in exchange for freebies. This freebies culture is dangerous for our country’s development. People should beware of this culture. Those who have this freebies culture will never build any new expressway, new airport, or defense corridor for you. They feel that they can buy people if they give freebies. We should come together to defeat this thought and remove this freebies culture from the polity of our country.”
रेवड़ी कल्चर वाले कभी आपके लिए नए एक्सप्रेसवे नहीं बनाएंगे, नए एयरपोर्ट या डिफेंस कॉरिडोर नहीं बनाएंगे।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2022
रेवड़ी कल्चर वालों को लगता है कि जनता जनार्दन को मुफ्त की रेवड़ी बांटकर, उन्हें खरीद लेंगे।
हमें मिलकर उनकी इस सोच को हराना है, रेवड़ी कल्चर को देश की राजनीति से हटाना है: PM
Drawing attention to his next target of the Jal Jeevan Mission, PM Modi said, “Our government is constantly working to mitigate another challenge of Bundelkhand. We are working on the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide piped water to every household.”
बुंदेलखंड की एक और चुनौती को कम करने के लिए हमारी सरकार निरंतर काम कर रही है।
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) July 16, 2022
हर घर तक पाइप से पानी पहुंचाने के लिए हम जल जीवन मिशन पर काम कर रहे हैं: PM @narendramodi
Massive response by the people of Bundelkhand
There was a massive crowd of people present for this program. The expressway within a radius of five kilometers was decorated in a grand manner. Police and Rapid Action Force personnel were deployed for security reasons. The Prime Minister shared the dais with Governor Anandiben Patel, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and ministers and public representatives. Separate blocks were marked for people from different areas to sit in the pandal. The three pandals built here were divided into 96 blocks. 65 blocks were reserved for people coming from urban and rural areas.
The Bundelkhand Expressway
Previous governments were very vocal about announcing various schemes for Bundelkhand but nothing great actually happened on the ground. No project made in Lucknow could reach Bundelkhand as reaching somewhere needs good road connectivity in the first place. The Bundelkhand expressway is a 296KM long project which starts at Bharatkoop in the Chitrakoot district and meets the Agra Lucknow expressway at Kudrail village in Etawah district. By this highway, the remotest part of Bundelkhand is now directly connected to Delhi. This four-lane expressway which is expandable into a six-lane expressway covers seven districts viz Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya, and Etawah.
The transparent e-tendering process for this expressway has again benefitted the Uttar Pradesh Expressways and Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) as the minimum tender for the project has come down by about 12.72% from the estimated cost thereby saving Rs. 1132 Crores. The main carriageway of the expressway was opened in December 2021 and the Bundelkhand expressway is now inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
