UP govt to invite bids for Rs 42,000 cr Meerut-Allahabad expressway soon, says Satish Mahana

In a mega push to the greenfield infrastructure, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government will soon float tenders for the Rs 42,000 crore Ganga expressway connecting Meerut and Prayagraj, and finish construction of the Purvanchal expressway connecting Lucknow and Ghazipur by mid-August.   
 
The UP government has acquired almost 84 per cent land required for the Ganga expressway and plans to begin the construction by September. The state government plans to finish construction of the project in the next 26 months.  
 
"For the 594 km Ganga expressway, the expressions of interest have been received. The tendering process of awarding of civil contracts will begin next month. This expressway may also be extended till Varanasi in the future," UP industry minister Satish Mahana told BusinessToday.In.

Also read: Expressways will speed up economic growth: UP CM Yogi Adityanath

According to the UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), a majority of the land has been acquired seamlessly in the last three months despite Covid disruptions. "84 per cent of land has been acquired. A total of 5,600 hectare land has been acquired in a record time of three months despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Compensation of Rs 5,000 crore has been disbursed to 63,500 farmers through RTGS. The compensation process has been completely dispute free," said Awanish Kumar Awasthi, CEO, UPEIDA.   
 
On the bidding process, the official said that model bidding documents will soon go to the cabinet for approval. "Construction of the project will begin by September this year. Industrial development projects will also be taken up alongside the alignment of the expressway," said Awasthi.  
 
Speaking about the Purvanchal expressway - a Greenfield alignment connecting Lucknow and Ghazipur, Mahana said 95 percent work has been completed and the balance will be finished by the end of this month.
 
Awasthi said by August 15, all lanes of the expressway will be completed fully. Purvanchal expressway is a fully access controlled six-lane expressway, connecting major eastern exporting hubs like Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Amethi, and Sultanpur, among others to Lucknow. An airstrip is also being developed on the expressway in Sultanpur district for use by the Air Force.

Also read: PM Modi launches Purvanchal Expressway: All you need to know about 340 km-long highway