Expressway inauguration is not a publicity stunt: Adityanath

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday clarified that the inauguration of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway is not a publicity stunt but an achievement.

Continuing his tirade against the Congress, the chief minister said the party was useless when it was in power.

Adityanath said, "This expressway is an achievement for us and not a publicity stunt. This shows that Congress was useless when they were in power. Unhe janta ke vikaas se koi lena dena nahi hai (They (Congress) have nothing to do with the development of people)."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated the Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) expressway, also known as the Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) at the District Sports stadium in Baghpat, Uttar Pradesh.

The 135 km long expressway is India's first smart and green highway, built between Kundli on NH 1 to Palwal on NH 2.

Built at a cost of Rs. 11,000 crore, the expressway is country's first highway to have solar-powered lights. It also has provision for rain water harvesting.

Along with the Prime Minister, Adityanath and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari were also present during the inaugural function.

Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone for this project on November 5, 2015.

Prime Minister Modi today also inaugurated the Delhi-Meerut expressway. The14-lane highway will reduce the travel time between the two cities to only 45 minutes from the present three hours.