An over 197-km long ‘bicycle highway’ will be developed from Taj Mahal in Agra to the lion safari in Etawah to encourage eco-tourism in the vicinity of historical and tourist places.

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A meeting of the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, yesterday approved the ‘bicycle highway’ which will not only run along the Agra-Etawah main road but will also cover various historical and tourism centres, an official spokesman said.

Starting from the eastern gate of Taj Mahal, it will cover areas such as Raja Bhoj ki Haveli, Bateshwarnath Temple, Mela Kothi Jarar, Naugava ka Quila and rural areas to reach the lion safari in Etawah, he said.

The state Cabinet also approved the construction cost for an international cricket stadium in Saifai, the native town of SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Cabinet also gave its nod to the implementation of Prime Minister Crop Insurance scheme from the Kharif season 2016. A new bus station would be constructed at Kaiserbagh in the state capital, the spokesman said.

This dream project of Akhilesh, which he had announced during the first-ever UP Bird festival in Agra in December last year. In another major decision, the cabinet cleared a proposal to auction the “VIP” registration numbers for vehicles. So far, there was a fee set for “attractive and significant” numbers, which were issued on first come first serve basis through online registration.

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However, with a motive to raise more revenue, the government approved the auction system already adopted by states like Haryana and Punjab. Under the new system, the auction will be open for seven days after the notification of a new series of numbers. If it fails to attract at least three bidders, the auction will be extended for seven more days.

Alongwith all the above steps, Rs 23 crore was also cleared for construction of a forensic lab in Bareilly.