Remembering the 1857 uprising in Meerut, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the Rs 7,566-crore Delhi-Meerut Expressway will show a way to freedom from pollution.
"Meerut is specially remembered for 1857 freedom movement. In 1857, it showed the way to freedom from slavery and today Delhi-Meerut Expressway is showing the (way to) freedom from pollution," Modi said.
Terming the expressway as "highway to development", the Prime Minister said infrastructure is key to economic growth and his government was "committed" to take the work done by former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee to newer heights.
Modi was addressing a rally at Noida after unveiling a plaque to mark the laying of the foundation stone of the Delhi-Meerut Expressway to be built at cost of Rs 7,566 crore that includes construction of 28 km long 14 lane Delhi-Dasna section.
"We are not merely constructing a road, this is a highway to development," he said as he recalled the contribution of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to bring India's infrastructure on par with global level through Golden Quadrilateral and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna.
"After Vajpayee government's massive contribution, the present government wants to take the sector to newer heights and I am not here to discuss what happened in the past 10 years", he said.
Noting the people's aspirations for development, the Prime Minister said good roads is one of the first pre-requisites for development and the expressway will spur unprecedented growth and employment in Western Uttar Pradesh.
"If a city is connected to small cities in a radius of 100 km, not only roads are built but every small village and town in the radius attains new heights of development," he said.
Modi said the drive by the government to develop road network will usher in development of the region in 150 km radius besides satellite township development.
Apart from satellite township, "weekend tourism" was bound to grow as middle class and upper middle class preferred going on family outings on weekends, he added.
He said his government believed in "turning any crisis into opportunity" while referring to Kedarnath tragedy and added that a new modern all-weather road was on the anvil for the 'chardhams' and Uttarakhand was bound to witness unprecedented development.
The Rs 7,566 crore Delhi-Meerut project would lead to employment of the youth, he added.
At the same time, he appealed the farmers of Uttar Pradesh to switch to ethanol production when sugar production is sufficient so that they not only earn profit but also contribute to minimise vehicular pollution.
To make available market for ethanol, the government has brought the law to mix 5 per cent ethanol in petrol.
The Prime Minister had last month launched three projects worth Rs 10,166 crore to decongest Delhi.
