india

Updated: Dec 15, 2018 09:57 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi would perform Ganga Pujan at Prayagraj and inaugurate projects worth Rs 1100 crore during his first visit to Rae Bareli, the traditional bastion of the Gandhi family, on Sunday.

According to Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad, apart from CM Yogi Adityanath and governor Ram Naik, one member each of the 13 akhadas would also participate in the PM’s puja ceremony wishing for a successful Kumbh Mela. The PM will also have a look at the ongoing preparations for the Kumb.

In Rae Bareli, the PM would hold a public meeting and flag off the Humsafar Express and also throw open the renovated 133-km Rae Bareli stretch of the National Highway 232, that would link Bundelkhand, Chitrakoot, Lucknow and Purvanchal areas in Uttar Pradesh.

The newly widened highway is expected to cut down travel time from Banda to Rae Bareli to 2.5 hours from the existing 7-8 hours. It would also cut down traffic congestion, reduce pollution and cut down fuel consumption.

The project, according to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, has been completed at a cost of about Rs 558 crore. The 133- kilometer stretch would serve as an important link between the mining areas of Bundelkhand, pilgrimage centre Chitrakoot, Lucknow, and Purvanchal. The highway is two-laned with a paved shoulder and includes a 4-lane stretch of 2 km in the urban part of Banda city. There are two 2 bypasses -- an 11 km one for the city of Fatehpur and 5 km one for Lalganj, Rae Bareli. It has two rail-overbridges (ROB), one at Lalganj and another at Fatehpur.

These have been constructed using Bow String Girder technology to avoid traffic blockage on the busy Delhi-Kolkata Railway Trunk Route as far as possible, the ministry said in a statement, adding there was one major bridge over river Sai spanning 90 metre and two vehicular underpasses in this section of the highway, in addition to various other small structures.