Had the Central government taken such imitative then the state selected would have been either any southern state or north-western state. UP and Bihar come last in the reckoning, always.

This is more significant for the simple reason that a state chief minister has taken initiative of her own and if other chief ministers also follow her, then, the infrastructure woes of the country will be greatly reduced quickly. Nobody knows how much time National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), will take to provide better motorable roads to the citizens of this country.

As UP and Bihar have non-UPA governments, it would deliberately not speed up construction activities due to internal pressure. The condition of roads in UP is not bad but it is far worse in Bihar, mainly, because of NHAI’s apathy. NHAI never bothers to repair even the existing national highways. So, constructing newer ones is like asking for far too much. It is the state government of Bihar which is managing even NHAI roads. The reasons for NHAI’s discriminatory attitude is known to everyone. Under the pressure of Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD), NHAI is skirting its responsibility. RJD would obviously not want to see the contrasting picture under Nitish Kumar government. Under its 16 years rule, RJD had ensured that no stretch of road remained motorable, so that Charwaha Vidyalayas and bullock-cart transportation could be popularised. Nitish Kumar has constructed most of the state highways and peripheral roads but NHAI has ensured that the national highways remain in such condition that deter people from travelling on that path.

The proposed expressways will pass through many ancient pilgrimage centers. Travelling between Delhi-Kanpur, Kanpur-Allahabad, Allahabad-Varanasi would become a breeze and millions of reluctant people will finally start visiting the most sacred places on this earth. There will be all round developmental activities and millions of employment opportunities would be generated.

Mayawati has tremendous hold over bureaucracy and she is most likely to achieve this ambitious feat, but politicians are already roaming with open daggers in their hands. They are most likely to stab from behind at the very first opportunity they get. Like RJD of Bihar they would never like to see Mayawati as a chief minister who transformed UP at her very own will.

If UP and Bihar have to come out of the rut then the respective state governments have to take bold and path breaking initiatives. Bundelkhand has been facing famine for years now but no concrete measures were taken to improve the situation. Similarly, Kosi has been flooding a large part of Bihar, but no measures to provide some solace to the victims were ever tried. One or two trains for Bihar announced by railway minister invites widespread derision and criticism, but they fail to appreciate how this state has been overlooked for decades.

There are many aspects of Mayawati, which can be debated and criticised but she should also be praised for what is due to her and this she deserves completely.