Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday inaugurated the Ganga Expressway in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh, the longest expressway in the state, and announced that it will be extended to Haridwar.
Addressing a public rally, Modi said the expressway reflects both development priorities and cultural heritage. “In a double-engine government, projects are both launched and completed,” he said, describing the corridor as a gateway to new opportunities.
The 594-km expressway will connect Meerut to Prayagraj, reducing travel time to about six hours from the current 11–12 hours. Built over five years at a cost of around Rs 37,350 crore, the project has an average cost of about Rs 62.87 crore per km. Modi had laid the foundation stone in Shahjahanpur on December 18, 2021. The 340-km Purvanchal Expressway was earlier the longest in the state.
Before the inauguration, Modi planted a sapling along the expressway and walked a stretch with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Targeting the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, the Prime Minister accused them of being “anti-development and anti-women,” citing their opposition to the women’s reservation bill. He said the legislation would have enabled reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies from the 2029 elections.
Referring to polling in West Bengal, Modi said reports indicated heavy voter turnout. “Such participation has not been seen in decades,” he said, expressing confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party would secure a “historic hat-trick” in the ongoing Assembly elections.
He also said past governments had given Uttar Pradesh a reputation for crime and lawlessness, asserting that the state’s law and order is now cited as an example across the country.
