Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 135 kilometre-long Eastern Peripheral Expressway on Sunday in Baghpat, built at a cost of Rs 11,000 crore. It is said to be the India's first smart and green highway.
While addressing a rally, Modi said,"Your presence in this summer heat is proof that our government has been successful in 4 years," Modi tells a cheering crowd. Speaking of completing four years of being in power at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that the fact people turned out in huge numbers for the Baghpat rally, it showed how successful the last four years have been. "Taking problem of pollution seriously, our government has taken up the task to build a ring road of sorts around Delhi. The EPE will help reduce traffic congestion in Delhi. 50,000 vehicles will not have enter Delhi at all. EPE is also India's first green expressway," said Narendra Modi in Baghpat. Prime Minister lists the ways in which the expressway will benefit commuters, hailing it as the country's first green highway. "Infrastructure does not differentiate on the basis caste, creed, religion and economic status," said Modi at the rally. "Congress' UPA govt could connect only 59 panchayats with optical fibers. In the same time, we have done it for more than 1 lakh villages. How work is done, my nation is experiencing it right now," said Modi. "During their (UPA) time, only two factories produced mobile phones. Today, more than 120 factories produce mobile phones," Narendra Modi said. "Through 'Make in India' campaign, manufacturing has received a boost. As a result, now there are 120 mobile phone manufacturing factories in India as compared to only two, four years ago," said Modi. Earlier in the day, Modi inaugurated the first phase of Delhi-Meerut Expressway before holding a roadshow in an open jeep in the Capital on Sunday. The first National Highway in the country with 14 lanes, the Delhi-Meerut Expressway includes 6-lane Expressway and 4+4 Service lanes from Nizamuddin Bridge in Delhi to UP Border. This 8.4-km stretch of National Highway has been completed in a record time of 18 months as against the earlier expected construction period of 30 months, at a cost of about Rs 841 crore . A total of 1,700 hectares of land has been acquired for the EPE at a cost of about Rs 5,900 crore. The construction cost of the project is about Rs 4,618 crore. The expressway has been completed in a record time of about 500 days against the scheduled target of 910 days. This is the first expressway in the country to use solar power on the entire length of 135 km. There are eight solar power plants on this Expressway, with a capacity of 4000 KW (4 megawatt) for lighting of the underpasses and running solar pumps for watering plants.