Kanpur: Kanpur MP Ramesh Awasthi performed the groundbreaking ceremony (bhoomi pujan) for the Jareeb Chowki Chauraha railway overbridge (ROB) in Kanpur Mahanagar on Friday. The ROB is set to be built at an approximate cost of Rs 320 crore and is expected to give a new direction to the city’s traffic.Thousands of BJP Kanpur Mahanagar workers witnessed the ceremony, which commenced at 11am.As Awasthi arrived at 12pm, he was welcomed with dhol-nagadas, shankhanad and victory chants, with public representatives calling it an important chapter in Kanpur’s development.Those present included BJP regional president Prakash Pal, legislative council member Arun Pathak, MLA Surendra Maithani, district president Anil Dixit, Shivram Singh, former MLA Rakesh Sonkar, Raghunandan Bhadauria, RP Kushwaha, regional general secretary Poonam Dwivedi, regional media In-charge Anoop Awasthi, former district president Sunil Bajaj, Vinod Shukla, Ramdev Shukla and NDA convener Suresh Gupta, along with a large number of BJP office-bearers and workers.In his address, Awasthi extended special thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Nitin Gadkari. He said the support and blessings of the people of Kanpur continuously inspired him and that he was fully committed to the all-round development of Kanpur.Awasthi said the ROB would free Kanpur Mahanagar from severe traffic jams and the problem of north-south connectivity that persisted for a long time. He said, “With the unwavering trust with which the people of Kanpur have made me their MP, I will always stand with them in every joy and sorrow.”The bhoomi pujan was completed at 2pm during an auspicious muhurat with Vedic chanting. The presence of the mahants of Panki Mandir and Anandeshwar mandir, along with Christian and Muslim religious leaders, conveyed a message of social harmony and Sarva Dharma Sambhav.
