Upper Ganga Canal highway project may begin soon

After much delay, the proposed eight-lane Upper Ganga Canal Expressway (UGCE) in western Uttar Pradesh may finally move towards getting the award of concessionaire.

The 212-km expressway flanking the Upper Ganga Canal is proposed from Sanauta Bridge in Greater Noida to Purkazi on the Uttar Pradesh-Uttarakhand border. Last year, the financial bidding process was put off several times due to variety of reasons, including investors’ lack of interest and environmental issues.

However, things seem to be positive this time round with the state government hoping to get the Request for Proposal (RFP) documents from bidders by January 31.

The government is making minor changes in the RFP document, since a new land acquisition and rehabilitation policy had come into force since September 2010.

“The process of making the minor changes in the document is on and the bidding process is likely to be completed this month,” a senior UP Expressways Industrial Development Authorty (Upeida) official told Business Standard.

A pre-bid meeting was held last month, in which the representatives of the prospective concessionaire had participated. Six companies, including Reliance and Jaypee are in the fray after qualifying the preliminary bid stage.

While, the main UGCE would measure 150 km, the link roads are likely to measure another 45 km. Besides, a link road of about 25 km is also proposed to be built in future.

The cost of the proposed expressway is estimated in the region for Rs 8,000 crore and it will take about three to four years to be completed. Besides, hydropower projects would be undertaken alongside to generate 32 megawatt (Mw) at a cost of Rs 400 crore.

Upeida is the lead agency for this Design Built Finance Operate Transfer (DBFOT) project, while IL&FS Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (IIDC) is the consultant.

The state irrigation department owns all the necessary land for the expressway, which would help in faster completion of the project. The expressway would be on 35-year lease to the concessionaire, while the commercial land at strategic locations along the route would be on lease for 90 years. The expressway will boost the industrial and economic development in the region and the farmers will find it easier to make their produce reach the national capital faster.