PM Modi visits Kashi Vishwanath temple, inaugurates Ganga Expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple on Wednesday morning, where he offered prayers and performed darshan during his trip to the holy city. The visit precedes a busy schedule, including a major roadshow in Varanasi. During his visit, he inaugurated the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway in the Hardoi district.

Addressing the gathering, Narendra Modi said that just as the Ganga has sustained Uttar Pradesh for thousands of years, the expressway will serve as a new lifeline for the state’s development. He added that the high-speed corridor is set to enhance connectivity, while driving industrial investment, improving logistics, strengthening agricultural markets, and promoting balanced regional growth.

Large crowds gathered at Lahurabir crossing and along key routes to see the Prime Minister. Earlier in the day, Local BJP MLA Ravindra Jaiswal noted that Modi’s visits are often associated with fresh development announcements. “Whenever PM Modi comes to Kashi, he announces new inaugurations before leaving… Today, he is going to seek (Kashi Vishwanath) Baba’s blessings… Today, the news spread that he is coming, and the people of Varanasi could not stop themselves and thronged the road to get a glimpse and greet him,” Jaiswal told ANI.

PM Modi to inaugurate Ganga Expressway in Hardoi

After the temple visit, PM Modi travelled to Hardoi and inaugurated the 594-km-long Ganga Expressway, a six-lane greenfield corridor built for Rs 36,230 crore, which is expandable to eight lanes. The expressway covers 12 districts, including Meerut, Hapur, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj, to provide seamless high-speed connectivity across western, central and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Officials said the project is likely to drastically reduce travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj from 10–12 hours to nearly six hours, while enhancing logistics and overall transport efficiency. The initiative also features a 3.5-km emergency landing strip in Shahjahanpur to aid defence operations. Authorities added that the expressway is expected to lower logistics costs, strengthen manufacturing, improve farmers’ market access, and create jobs across the region.