Hardoi, April 29 -- : As the stage is set for the inauguration of the 594-kilometre Ganga Expressway by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Mallawan Nagar Palika, a hitherto sleepy town in Hardoi district where the ceremony will be held, has come alive for its tryst with development.

Built at a cost of Rs.36,230 crore, the expressway, the longest in the country, will connect Meerut to Prayagraj, traversing 12 districts - Hapur, Bulandshahr, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj.

The expressway will reduce the travel time between western and eastern Uttar Pradesh, benefitting rural regions that have long remained outside the development mainstream.

The project marks the last bi...