PM to lay foundation for Rs 7,558-cr expressway

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone of the much-touted 135-km long Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) passing through Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on November 5.

The Rs 7,558-crore project, which passes through Delhi's periphery, will not only decongest Delhi but help in reducing pollution in the city. Experts say the development of this stretch will also help in uplifting the socio-economic condition of these two states. Further, the highway is expected to boost the real estate sector in various parts of north India.

The project cost includes Rs 1,795 crore for land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities. The government has already acquired 1,568 hectares, out of the total 1,632 hectares required for the project .The Eastern Peripheral Expressway (EPE) is expected to be commissioned by July 2018.

THE ROAD AHEAD

• The expressway was proposed 12 years ago
   
• The project is set to cost Rs 7,558 crore
   
• Total cost includes Rs 1,795.20 crore for land acquisition, resettlement etc
   
• Government has already acquired 1,568 hectares, out of the total 1631.50 hectares required
   
• The construction period is 30 months
   
• The deadline fixed by Supreme Court is July 2018

"The prime minister will lay the foundation stone of Eastern Peripheral Expressway on November 5," said a senior official in the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). Initially, the foundation stone was delayed due to code of conduct in place in Haryana because of Haryana local body elections. The construction period is 30 months and the project is likely to be completed within the deadline fixed by Supreme Court i.e. July 2018.

To be executed on EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) mode in six packages, the NHAI has awarded the contract to five players - Sadbhav Engineering Ltd, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd, Ashoka Buildcon, Gayatri Projects Ltd and Oriental Structural Engineers.

The state-of-the-art expressway will be of concrete and will have wayside amenities such as parking space, hotels, motels, eateries, toilet blocks, etc.

In July this year, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs gave its approval for the project. Earlier, NHAI had invited bids for both build-operate-transfer (BOT) and EPC modes. However, it did not receive any single any application for BOT. On the contrary, it received 167 requests for quotation by the bid date for the EPC mode.