Lucknow, 28 April. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day tour of Uttar Pradesh from today. According to the official programme, Prime Minister Modi will participate in the ‘Women’s Conference’ to be organized in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi on April 28 and will also address a public meeting after laying the foundation stone and inaugurating various development projects worth about Rs 6350 crore.
According to officials, Modi will dedicate to the nation more than 48 projects completed at a cost of over Rs 1,050 crore, including widening of the Varanasi-Azamgarh road, important rail over bridges at Kazjakpura and Kadipur and a 55 million liter per day capacity sewage treatment plant (STP) at Bhagwanpur. He said that the Prime Minister will also flag off two new ‘Amrit Bharat Express’ trains to further boost rail connectivity in Uttar Pradesh.
Officials said that these trains will connect the major religious and cultural centers of the state with the major economic centers of Maharashtra. He said that Modi will flag off ‘Amrit Bharat Express’ trains going from Varanasi to Pune (Hadapsar) and Ayodhya to Mumbai (Lokmanya Tilak Terminus) on Tuesday. This initiative is expected to greatly benefit the travelers of Uttar Pradesh, especially pilgrims, students, migrant workers and small traders traveling between North India and Maharashtra.
By connecting cities like Varanasi and Ayodhya directly to Mumbai and Pune, these new services aim to reduce travel time, improve convenience and provide an affordable option for long distance travel, an official statement said. According to the statement, ‘Amrit Bharat Express’ has been designed as a non-air-conditioned, high-capacity train, focused on common travelers and offering superior comfort and modern amenities at affordable fares.
Officials said that these trains are especially important for Uttar Pradesh as it will strengthen both religious tourism and economic mobility. He said that the two major religious places of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi and Ayodhya attract lakhs of devotees every year. He said that better rail connectivity with big cities like Mumbai and Pune is expected to boost tourism, make travel easier for people and strengthen the livelihoods associated with these areas.
According to the official programme, Modi will visit Hardoi after visiting Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi at around 8.30 am on April 29 and will also address a public meeting after inaugurating the Ganga Expressway at around 11.30 am. According to officials, the approximately 594 kilometer long Ganga Expressway, built at a cost of approximately Rs 36 thousand 230 crore, has passed through 12 districts Meerut, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Amroha, Sambhal, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj. He said that with the construction of this expressway, the travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj is expected to reduce from the current 10-12 hours to about six hours.
According to a government statement, the pilgrimage circuit will also be strengthened by the Ganga Expressway as many religious places will also be directly connected to it. According to the statement, this expressway is not just a road project but is becoming a major foundation to give new impetus to the spiritual tourism of Uttar Pradesh. According to the statement, through this expressway, access to major religious places like Garhmukteshwar, Kalki Dham, Belha Devi Dham, Chandrika Devi Shakti Peeth and Triveni Sangam will become easier than before.
These are the places where lakhs of devotees come for darshan every year. Officials said that in fact, Ganga Expressway has the potential to transform the spiritual tourism of Uttar Pradesh from ‘destination to circuit’. He said that till now the devotees often used to return after visiting only one pilgrimage, but after the construction of better road network, they will be able to visit many religious places in a single trip, which will increase the duration, expenditure and local economic activities of religious tourism in the state.
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