Purvanchal
Expressway, the 340-km long road that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi
Adityanath has touted as what will become the backbone of the state economy, was
inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday. Narendra Modi flew in on
an Air Force C-130 J Super Hercules aircraft in UP’s Sultanpur district for the
launch. Here’s all you need to know about the Purvanchal Expressway:

Faster,
easier travel

The Purvanchal
Expressway will allow commuters to drive from Delhi to the easternmost corner
of Uttar Pradesh bordering Bihar in around 10 hours. While the expressway will
have six lanes initially, the plan includes a gradual increase to eight lanes.

The expressway has
been constructed at a cost of Rs 22,500 crore.

Boost for the
economy

The Uttar Pradesh
government is pinning its hopes on the Purvanchal Expressway to provide a major
boost to the state’s economy. Eastern Uttar Pradesh is likely to enjoy the fruits
of the expressway, especially the districts of Lucknow, Ambedkar Nagar, Barabanki,
Amethi, Ayodhya, Sultanpur Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur.

Also Read | Watch: IAF fighter aircraft land on Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh

A network of
expressways

The Purvanchal Expressway
will add to the existing network of expressways in Uttar Pradesh. Several
expressways have been launched in Uttar Pradesh since 2016, including the Ganga
Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Expressway and Bundelkhand Expressway.

Also Read | Watch | Nitin Gadkari speed tests Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, drives at 170 kmph

The projects are
being worked on by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development
Authority. The network is meant to connect every part of UP to the national
capital. Authorities believe the highways will create opportunities for
employment apart from ensuring faster commuting and also spur the growth of
economic clusters.

The political
wrangle

With Uttar Pradesh
getting ready for assembly elections next year, the launch of a new expressway
has sparked off a political wrangle between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP). SP chief and former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav
has accused the BJP of taking credit for the work done by his government.

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“The ribbon has
come from Lucknow and the scissors came from Delhi to take credit for Samajwadi
Party’s work,” Yadav tweeted. Yogi Adityanath, however, says that the
foundation of the project was laid by PM Modi in 2018 and not in 2016.