Infrastructure development: the powerful mantra that won Yogi Uttar Pradesh

A. Harikumar

For the first time in 35 years, Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state in India which was among the most backward states in the country on many development indicators, has returned to power a ruling chief minister. When the results of the assembly polls were declared on March 10, the saffron-clad chief minister Yogi Adityanath created history by storming back to power. The last time when a ruling chief minister did so was in 1985 when Narayan Dutt Tiwari won a second term. However, unlike Yogi who completed five years, no previous chief minister who returned to power had completed his full term.

Yogi who was the former head of Gorakhpur math has often been accused by liberals and sections of media as the embodiment of hardcore Hindutva ideology who wins by polarisation. However, there are many who debunk the charges. They point out that Yogi’s focus on development and the staggering number of infrastructure projects initiated / completed by him are his mantras for success. But, its also true that he may have amped up Hindutva rhetoric occasionally to please his core Hindutva voter base.

Yogi’s supporters point out that currently Uttar Pradesh has some of the most modern roads in the country and many more are being built sticking to the schedule and ensuring transparency. Despite the vast tracts of land, including agricultural lands being acquired for infrastructure development there have not been many protests in the state by farmers. The political discourse of the state which was punctuated by identity politics, especially Dalit and Mandal themes till the recent past, has now taken a new turn toward development issues. No wonder Uttar Pradesh now boasts some of the biggest development projects in the country.

Expressways

The 594 kilometre long Ganga Expressway which is now under construction is said to be among the longest and state-of-the-art expressways in the country. The estimated cost of the road is 36, 230 crore. The 296 kilometre long Bundelkhand expressway built at an estimated cost of Rs 14,716 crore has brought development to some of the most backward regions in the state like Etawah, Auraiya, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Banda, Mahoba and Chitrakoot The 340.8 km long Poorvanchal Expressway, built at an estimated cost of Rs 22, 494 crore which was also completed by Yogi Adityanath government.

Just before UP assembly polls Prime Minister Narendra Modi at a meeting had extolled the progress in transportation sector in Gazhiabad region. He recollected the experience of travelling from Meerut to Delhi in less than an hour by the 14-lane Delhi-Meerut expressway. “Transportation facilities in western Uttar Pradesh have improved by leaps and bounds and travel from Aligarh or Meerut to Delhi is now hassle free,” he said.

Industrial Corridor and AIIMS

The Gorakhpur AIIMS being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1100 core is widely appreciated as a boon to several lakhs of people in the underdeveloped eastern Uttar Pradesh and even in Nepal.

The defence corridor project costing Rs 20,000 crore, the work of which is now fast progressing, is hoped to make Uttar Pradesh a hub of defence industries. The plan is to manufacture defence equipment, including weapons, sensors, aircraft and helicopters, domestically. As part of the corridor six nodes have been identified — Lucknow, Kanpur, Jhansi, Agra, Aligarh and Chitrakoot — to be connected via expressways, and bring together medium, small and micro industries.

The Rs 13,000 crore Kanpur metro is another major project which has been launched by Yogi government. The first phase of the project has already been inaugurated and services started. The Jewar International Airport, Nodia, the foundation stone of which was laid by Modi in 2021, is expected to become the fourth largest airport in the world. This will become the logistics gateway to India and create thousands of jobs.

Takeaway from Yogi’s win

Some of the recent studies on development have found that the world is going to see infrastructure led development and growth in the coming days. This is true the globally as proved by the US infrastructure Act which was passed recently, the Belt Road project of China, and the Global Gateway project of European Union. Huge investments in the infrastructure sector will have a trickle down effect and drive growth. Those leaders who initiate infrastructure development will reap in benefits, provided they do it with the consent of local people. Infrastructure will dominate the political discourse in the near and medium term, and those who realise it will rule the roost.

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