UP's Jalaun gears up for PM's visit to inaugurate Bundelkhand Expressway

Elaborate arrangements are underway for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to inaugurate Bundelkhand Expressway here on Saturday under which around five km area of the venue has been taken in the security cordon.

The foundation stone of the four-lane expressway, which will connect Chitrakoot with the Lucknow-Agra Expressway, was laid by Modi in February 2020.

The project took 28 months to complete.

"The government has been committed to enhancing connectivity across the country, a key feature of which has been the work towards improvement in road infrastructure," an official statement issued here said.

The 296-km, four-lane expressway constructed at a cost of around Rs 14,850 crores, under the aegis of Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), can later be expanded upto six lanes as well.

Extending from National Highway (NH)-35 at Gonda village near Bharatkoop in Chitrakoot district to near Kudrail village in Etawah district, where it merges with the Agra-Lucknow expressway, it passes through seven districts, viz. Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah.

Along with improving connectivity in the region, the Bundelkhand Expressway will also give a major boost to economic development, resulting in the creation of thousands of jobs for the local people. Work on the creation of an industrial corridor in Banda and Jalaun districts, next to the expressway, has already been started.

Jalaun SP Ravi Kumar said that with a view to ensure proper security during the PM's programme, around five km area of the venue has been taken in the security cordon and the administration has asked all the security personnel to remain stationed at their respective points of deployment in view of the PM's programme.

An art gallery is also being set up in which the fort of Mahoba, Jagmanpur fort of Jalaun and the defense corridor have been shown. Besides the RAF (Rapid Action Force) and PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary), policemen have been deployed in the area, he said.

Intensive checking campaign is being conducted in all the hotels and restaurants of Orai, the district headquarter. Bomb disposal squad has also been camped.

To help the beneficiaries of different government schemes reach the public meeting site, roadways buses have been made available at the municipal and nagar panchayat headquarters of the district. Apart from this, buses will also be provided at the development block and village level to take the beneficiaries from the rural areas to the meeting place, the SP said.

Bundeli artistes of Bundelkhand will perform their art at the function.