CM announces Rs 1,000cr new Ganga bridge in Prayagraj

Prayagraj: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday announced a new Rs 1,000 crore bridge over the Ganga in the City North Assembly constituency. The new bridge would be joining Salori to Hetapatti (over 3 km) across Ganga. The bridge will be constructed by State Bridge Corporation and the agency has already started the initial survey, including soil analysis. Addressing a gathering during his visit to the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation, the chief minister also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be invited to inaugurate the nearly complete six-lane Ganga bridge and lay the foundation stone of the proposed new bridge project. "The over 9Km-long six-lane bridge being constructed over the Ganga was nearing completion and would significantly strengthen connectivity in the Sangam city,” he said. He asserted state govt would not step back from any proposal aimed at improving Prayagraj’s infrastructure and assured that flow of funds would never stop for future Kumbh arrangements. Yogi also unveiled projects worth around Rs 400 crore and launched the new website of the Prayagraj Mela Authority. He said several more large-scale projects were in the pipeline as Prayagraj was rapidly emerging as a modern smart city with world-class infrastructure. Recalling the successful organisation of Maha Kumbh 2025, Yogi said over 66 crore devotees took a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam during the 45-day event. Thanking the residents of Prayagraj, he said not a single voice of protest was raised despite heavy traffic congestion and commuting difficulties throughout the Maha Kumbh period. “Mai aaka abhari hun” (i am thankful to you all), said Yogi. “The people of Prayagraj treated Maha Kumbh like a function of their own family,” he said, adding that in the same manner, when people treat the development of the state as the progress of their own family, prosperity follows naturally. He termed the event a symbol of “gyan, bhakti and karm” and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving global recognition to Kumbh through UNESCO recognition of the event. The CM also appealed to citizens to continue maintaining cleanliness in the city. Praising the role of the city administration, sanitation workers and public representatives, Yogi said Prayagraj presented a new model of cleanliness, civic management and hospitality before the world. “The city’s transformation was continuing with new development projects and beautification initiatives inspired by the flow of the Ganga,” he said. Highlighting improvements in law and order, Yogi said Prayagraj was now free from “mafia raj and goondaism”. "Women, traders and common citizens could move freely at any hour without fear,” he said. Yogi also referred to the Shivalaya Park at Arail under the “waste to wealth” concept and said nearly 400 tonnes of waste material were reused to create replicas of pilgrimage sites and the 12 Jyotirlingas. Referring to heritage conservation, Yogi said devotees can now freely visit Akshay Vat, which remained inaccessible for years before being opened for public darshan in 2019. He also said the historic Bharadwaj Ashram, once affected by encroachment, has now been freed and restored in a grand form.