Purvanchal e-way gets environment go-ahead

LUCKNOW: Purvanchal Expressway, the top priroty project of the Yogi Adityanath government, was given the green signal by the environment panel on Tuesday.

Obtaining clearance from the state level environmental impact assessment authority (SLEIAA) is a mandtory prerequisite for all big construction and development projects.

Uttar Pradesh Expressways and Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), the nodal agency for Purvanchal Expressway, had applied for a no objection certificate as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation of the ₹23,000 crore project on March 19.

The access-controlled e-way would be built on engineering procurement and construction (EPC) basis in eight packages.

“We have given the clearance to UPEIDA for Purvanchal Expressway, which is a greenfield project,” said an SLEIAA official.

A greenfield project is one where development/construction work is undertaken on unused land and where there is no need to remodel or demolish any existing structure.

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We have purchased 88% land required for the expressway. A decision was taken by the state government to start work only after 90% of land was purchased and made available for the project

UTTAR PRADESH EXPRESSWAYS AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY (UPEIDA) OFFICIAL

The eight-lane Expressway will be built on the lines of the 304-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway.

Starting from Chand Sarai in Lucknow, the 353 kilometre Purvanchal Eexpressway would connect several cities of eastern Uttar Pradesh culminating at Haideriya in Ghazipur.

The state government has already allocated ₹1,000 crore for it in the budget for 2018-19 fiscal.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath intends to link his constituency Gorakhpur to the Purvanchal Expressway via the Gorakhpur Link Expressway.

Another link road has also been proposed to connect PM’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi also with the project.

Large land parcels along the expressway would be used to set up industrial training Institutes, educational and medical Institutes apart from new townships and various other commercial activities, said a Uttar Pradesh Expressways and Industrial Development Authority official.

The development agency has received bids from more than a dozen construction majors for the proposed expressway.

“We have purchased 88 per cent land required for the expressway. A decision was taken by the state government to start work only after 90 per cent of land was purchased and made available for the project,” he said.

The expressway would connect the state capital with towns like Barabanki, Faizabad, Ambedkar Nagar, Amethi, Sultanpur, Azamgarh, Mau, Ghazipur and Ballia.

The project completion deadlline is 2020.

Once complete the expressway is expected to cut down travel time from Lucknow to Ballia by five hours.