Lucknow, April 12 -- Defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh said on Saturday that the city's progress depends on the development of surrounding areas. He asserted that the State Capital Region (SCR) will rapidly become a corridor of development.

"Unless basic infrastructure develops there (in the surrounding areas) too, Lucknow cannot become the developed city we want," he said at the Gomti Nagar Jankalyan Mahasamiti Annual Function and inauguration of public welfare projects in the state capital.

He also spoke about the proposed National Highway-927, a 111 km four-lane highway from Barabanki to Bahraich, costing nearly Rs.7,000 crore, which will cut travel time by over an hour.

Commenting on development work in Lucknow, Singh s...