UP wants Centre as partner in ₹15k crore Poorvanchal Expressway plan

NEWDELHI: Eager to kick-start the first major infrastructure project after coming to power, Yogi Adityanath’s Uttar Pradesh government wants the Centre to join hands and share the cost of constructing the ₹15,000 crore Poorvanchal Expressway project, linking the state capital Lucknow with Ballia.

In a proposal submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, the UP government has said that it will acquire land for the 353-km long project and the Union ministry of road transport and highways can construct the expressway.

The UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has estimated a total expenditure of ₹7,085 crore on acquiring land for the project.

“We have proposed that it should be a joint venture project between the state and the Centre. However, no decision has been taken as yet. So far, we have acquired 71% of the land,” Awanish Kumar Awasthi, CEO, UPEIDA, told Hindustan Times.

The PMO and the think tank Niti Aayog have held several rounds of meetings to thrash out the modalities.

Originally mooted by the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government, the Poorvanchal Expressway is one of the infrastructure projects that was not shelved by the BJP government, after it came to power in March. During his tenure, Yadav had also got the 300km Agra-lucknow Expressway constructed for ₹20,000 crore. The entire cost was borne by the state.