Yogi government likely to rename Yamuna Expressway after Atal Bihari Vajpayee

New Delhi: As the Uttar Pradesh prepares for Assembly Elections next year, Yogi government is likely to rename Yamuna Expressway after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The renaming of the Expressway might happen during the foundation laying ceremony by PM Narendra Modi at Jewar in Gautam Buddh Nagar district on November 25.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, and other high-profile BJP leaders will be present at the event where the formal announcement of the renaming of the expressway will be taken place.

A senior BJP leader said, “The decision [to rename the expressway] has been taken to give a token of respect to the most loved politicians in India. AB Vajpayee is respected by all, across party lines, and the renaming of the expressway will remind future generations about his greatness.”

Yamuna Expressway which is 165 km long connects Greater Noida in Gautam Buddha Nagar district with Agra. This expressway is considered the third-longest expressway in the country. This expressway has been functional since 2012.

Besides, this expressway is connected with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Eastern Peripheral Expressway.

The decision to rename the expressway can be regarded as a token of love and respect for the country’s most loved politician. Atal Bihari Vajpayee served as the Prime Minister of India for three terms.

Meanwhile, Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the Noida International Airport (NIA) on Thursday, for which he will be traveling to Jewar. Including this airport, the state will have five airports in total.

This is not the first the ruling government is changing the names of several towns and railway stations or venues and others since it came to power in March 2017. In November 2018, just after three months of Vajpayee’s death, the UP government has renamed Ekana International Cricket Stadium in Lucknow as ‘Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium.’

Besides, towns in Uttar Pradesh such as Allahabad was renamed as Prayagraj while Faizabad as Ayodhya.