UP hits top gear to acquire land for Rs 14,700-cr Bundelkhand Expressway

Online bidding process underway to select developers for the mega infra project

The Uttar Pradesh government has accelerated land acquisition process for the flagship Bundelkhand Expressway, which is estimated to cost Rs 14,716 crore.

 

So far, the state has acquired 1,011 hectares, or 27 per cent of the required 3,642 hectares across 182 villages for the Expressway, which would link arid Bundelkhand region with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway at Etawah district, after traversing Jhansi, Banda, Hamirpur, Mahoba, Jalaun and Auraiya.

 

The length of Bundelkhand Expressway would be over 296 km. According to sources, the state plans to acquire the remaining land in the next two months. Besides, the bidding process for the mega project has also been started.

 

In the UP Annual Budget 2019-20, the state had made a provision of Rs 3,194 crore for Expressway projects.

 

Of the outlay, Rs 1,194 crore has been allocated for the proposed Purvanchal Expressway while Rs 1,000 crore each for Bundelkhand Expressway and Gorakhpur Link Expressway (which would link Gorakhpur with Purvanchal Expressway).

 

Meanwhile, the detailed project report (DPR) for the Bundelkhand Expressway has been prepared and online bids invited from interested parties, while EGIS India has been roped in as project consultant.

 

The project has been divided into six different packages for which bids have been invited separately.

 

The idea of the mega project is to connect Bundelkhand with the National Capital Region (NCR) through Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Yamuna Expressway for boosting socio-economic development.

 

Recently, UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) CEO Awanish Kumar Awasthi had directed the district magistrate of Auraiya to speed up land acquisition.

 

On February 15, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation of another flagship Bundelkhand Defence Industrial Corridor project in Jhansi district, which is expected to attract investment of Rs 20,000 crore.

 

The Corridor comprised various infrastructure projects totalling over Rs 40,000 crore in the arid Bundelkhand region, which were either inaugurated or witnessed their foundation laying by Modi.

 

Meanwhile, the UP government has identified about 5,000 hectares for the Defence Corridor.

 

Another 600 km long Ganga Expressway project has also been envisioned by UP government. It is expected to cost Rs 36,000 crore and touted as the world’s longest access controlled expressway. It would connect Prayagraj (Allahabad) with Meerut via Bulandshahar, Shahjahanpur, Badaun, Kannauj, Unnao and Pratapgarh districts.