Purvanchal Expressway to be operational by August, says UP minister Satish Mahana

New Delhi [India], July 1 (ANI): Purvanchal Expressway, an ambitious project of the Uttar Pradesh government connecting Lucknow, Sultanpur, Azamgarh and Ghazipur will become operational by August, informed state Industry Minister Satish Mahana.
Addressing a virtual press conference on Thursday, Mahana said 95 per cent of work has been completed and the remaining work will be finished by the end of this month.
According to Awanish Awasthi, the Additional Chief Secretary 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 Air Force.
The Uttar Pradesh government will soon float tenders for the Rs 42,000 crore Ganga expressway connecting Meerut and Prayagraj. The government has acquired almost 83 per cent of land required for the Ganga Expressway and plans to begin the construction by September this year. The government plans to finish construction of the project in the next 26 months, said Mahana.
During the virtual media interaction, Mahana said, "For the 594 km Ganga Expressway, expressions of interest have been received. The tendering process of award of civil contracts will begin by the next month. This expressway may also be extended till Varanasi in the future."
According to the UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the majority of land has been acquired seamlessly in the last three months despite COVID-19 disruptions.
"83 per cent 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 crores has been disbursed to 63,500 farmers through Real-Time Gross Settlement (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. (ANI)