PM Narendra Modi lays foundation stone of Delhi-Meerut Expressway project

Prime Minister Modi also said,"Meerut is especially remembered for its key role in the 1857 first war of Independence".

In a major boost to infrastructure development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the of 74-km long Delhi-Dasna-Meerut 14-lane expressway and upgradation of the 22-km Dasna-Hapur section of NH 24.

The Prime Minister last month launched three important highway projects worth Rs 10,166 crore to decongest Delhi.

Modi said the drive by the government to develop road network will usher in development of the region in 150 km radius besides satellite township development. In the current time Delhi and Meerut are connected through NH-58 witnessing of massive traffic Jam leads to inconvenient to people of Muradnagar and Modinagar.

The stretch is extremely crowded and the construction of the expressway is going to have vast benefits, including cutting down the travel between Delhi and Meerut to 40 minutes. Adding an economic angle to the new project, he hoped the expressway would play a pivotal part in the development of cities like Meerut and Dehradun. The fourth package deal can be a brand new alignment of Delhi Meerut Expressway from Dasna to Meerut and 6 laning of connector. "The alignment will terminate on inner ring road/ Meerut bypass near Railway crossing at Meerut", he said. Talking at the event Modi said that the expressway will bring changes in rural life of India by increasing connectivity between villages. "This is to complete the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressway in 400 days".

DME Phase I involves construction of the 28 km 14-lane Delhi-Dasna section of the expressway, at a cost of Rs. 2869 crore.

Officials said that bids for the Delhi-Hapur section of NH-24 project in three packages on new hybrid annuity model have been invited. Special guests on the occasion will include Union Minister of state General V K Singh, Sanjiv Baliyan, P Radhakrishnan, Mahesh Giri, Rajinder Aggarwal, Satpal Singh and MLA Vimla Batham, sources said.