Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 20 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday accused the Samajwadi Party of corruption in infrastructure projects, alleging inflated costs in the JPNIC and Purvanchal Expressway projects, while announcing a Kashi Vishwanath Dham-style corridor for the Lodheshwar Mahadev temple in Barabanki.

Addressing a public gathering after offering prayers at the temple, the Chief Minister alleged that the SP had overspent on the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow and attempted to inflate the cost of the Purvanchal Expressway.

Referring to JPNIC, Adityanath said, 'If you travel to Lucknow today, you can see a tall building standing right behind the Taj Hotel; it is called JPNIC. This JPNIC is named after Loknayak Jayaprakash Ji, who sounded the clarion call against the Emergency in the country. The Samajwadi Party was building it; the estimated cost was 200 crore, yet 864 crore was spent, and it remained incomplete. This was a case of looting by the Samajwadi Party.'

The Chief Minister further alleged irregularities in the Purvanchal Expressway project, claiming that tenders worth 15,200 crore had been awarded without acquiring land.

'Our government constructed the Purvanchal Expressway. Before we laid the foundation stone, the Samajwadi Party had already laid one but never started the work. They had awarded tenders, but when we examined their estimate of 15,200 crore and found that land had not even been acquired, we cancelled the process and started the work afresh,' he said.

Adityanath claimed that after fresh land acquisition and a new bidding process, the expressway was completed at a significantly lower cost.

'We secured the land and invited fresh tenders. The same Purvanchal Expressway, which the SP planned to build for 15,200 crore, was completed by our government for 11,800 crore. What the Samajwadi Party had attempted was nothing short of daylight robbery,' he alleged.

During the event, the Chief Minister also announced a major redevelopment project for the historic Lodheshwar Mahadev temple.

He said the temple had remained neglected for decades after Independence despite being an important religious centre visited by devotees from several neighbouring districts.

'The country became independent in 1947, but the light of freedom never reached the Lodheshwar Mahadev temple. Funds were made available for the boundary walls of graveyards, but not for the Lodheshwar Mahadev temple,' he said.

Adityanath also said that funds had not been made available for the haveli of hockey legend KD Singh 'Babu' or for the conservation of the Parijat tree, adding that his government was committed to preserving the region's cultural heritage.

Announcing the project, he said, 'We have sanctioned funds for a sacred temple corridor dedicated to Lord Lodheshwar Mahadev. A magnificent corridor, modelled after the Kashi Vishwanath Dham, is now being constructed.'

The proposed corridor is intended to improve infrastructure and facilities for pilgrims visiting the temple, the Chief Minister said. (ANI)