Five New Expressways, Six New Metro Projects And More: BJP Promises Big Infra Push In Manifesto For UP

Two days ahead of the first round of voting in Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has released its election manifesto.

Promising a big infrastructure push in the state, the party has said that it will build five new expressways, six new metros, two new international airports, 25 new bus terminals with 2,000 new buses, three new ropeway services, and give tap water connection to all and broadband connection in all villages. The party has also promised to construct five new international exhibition and convention centres and three new data centres.

Five New Expressways

The five new expressways promised by the BJP include the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway, the 91-km-long Gorakhpur Link Expressway, the 296-km-long Bundelkhand Expressway, the 63-km-long elevated Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, and the Balia Link Expressway to link the easternmost district of the state with the existing Purvanchal Expressway.

The Bundelkhand Expressway, a project started by the Yogi Adityanath government, is in the last stage of construction and is likely to be inaugurated after the elections. The Gorakhpur Link Expressway, being built to link Gorakhpur to the Purvanchal Expressway, is also under construction. The state has already acquired land for the Ganga Expressway, and bids have been awarded to IRB Infrastructure Developers and the Adani Group.

Two New Airports

The party has promised to build two new international airports, one in Jewar and the other in Ayodhya. The foundation stone for the Jewar airport project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year. The party has said that the airport will be developed as an aviation hub.

Three New Ropeway Projects

New ropeway projects will be started in the three temple towns of Varanasi, Mirzapur and Chitrakoot. Varanasi will get India's first public transport ropeway system to ease traffic congestion.

Six Metro Projects

Metro projects in six cities, Kashi, Meerut, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Jhansi and Prayagraj will be completed, the BJP has said.

The state already has functional metro systems in Noida, Lucknow, and Kanpur. A system is under construction in Agra.