PM to lay foundation of Rs 15,000 cr Bundelkhand Expressway on Feb 29

This would be Modi's 3rd visit to UP this month after inaugurating DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow on February 5 and a visit to his parliamentary constituency on February 16

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation of 296 km Bundelkhand Expressway in Chitrakoot district of Uttar Pradesh on February 29. The expressway is estimated to cost Rs 15,000 crore. 

This would be Modi’s 3rd visit to UP this month after inaugurating DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow on February 5 and paying a day’s visit to his Varanasi parliamentary constituency on February 16, where he inaugurated projects worth over Rs 1,200 crore on Sunday.

The function will be held at Gonda village in Bharatkoop, which is part of the Karvi tehsil in Chitrakoot. Gonda village is the initial point of the expressway, which would traverse Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah districts.

On Monday, UP chief minister Adityanath visited Chitrakoot to take the stock of the preparations ahead of Modi’s visit for the foundation laying ceremony, which would also witness inauguration or initiation of other developmental projects for the arid Bundelkhand region.

Bundelkhand Expressway is among the flagship projects of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is often referred to by the CM at various platforms as an example of his government's pro-development agenda.

At the DefExpo, the state had signed memorandum of understanding (MoU) with private companies entailing investment to the tune of Rs 50,000 crore, bulk of which is for the Bundelkhand region. The project would start near Bharatkoop at Jhansi-Allahabad National Highway (NH) 35 in Chitrakoot district and terminate near village Kudrail, Etawah on Agra-Lucknow Expressway.

Earlier, the UP government had approved the award of engineering, procurement and construction contract to the winning financial bidders. While, each of these expressways is estimated to be completed in 36 months, the concessionaries have been promised to be paid 5% incentive of the contracted amount, if they complete the project in 30 months.