Lucknow Metro gets funding priority among infra projects

THE UPIDF HAS ALREADY RELEASED `56 CRORE TO THE PCDF FOR SETTING UP AN EXCLUSIVE COW MILK PLANT IN KANNAUJ.

LUCKNOW: When it comes to being accorded priority, Lucknow Metro Rail project easily steals a march over other equally ambitious projects like the Lucknow-Agra Expressway and an exclusive cow milk plant in Kannauj, the Lok Sabha constituency of chief minister Akhikesh Yadav’s wife Dimple Yadav.

The pecking order for providing funds for these projects became evident at a meeting of the management committee of the UP Infrastructure Development Fund (UPIDF) held recently under principal secretary, infrastructure and industrial department. While Lucknow Metro Rail Corporation (LMRC) had sought `260 crore, the Pradesh Cooperative Dairy Federation, the agency for cow milk plant and UPEDA for Lucknow-Agra Expressway had asked for Rs 367 crore and Rs 600 crore, respectively.

The high-level panel on funding pledged `200 crore for Lucknow Metro Rail project. But while sanctioning Rs 150 crore for cow milk plant and Rs 600 crore for Agra-Lucknow Expressway, it made it clear that the Lucknow Metro would be given priority for disbursal of funds. The UPIDF relies on development authorities, local bodies and trade development fund (TDF) for its revenues. The TDF alone contributed `250 crore last year to the UPIDF, which has set a target of realising `150 crore each from both Ghaziabad and Greater Noida Authorities, `25 crore from LDA and Housing Board and Rs 10 crore each from Greater Noida and Yamuna Expressway and Industrial Development Authority, this year.

The UPIDF has already released `56 crore to the PCDF for setting up an exclusive cow milk plant in Kannauj. “This amount (`56 crore) would be adjusted from the `150 crore we have sanctioned for the plant. It also includes `10 crore for consultant and other sundry expenses,” said an official. The plant would have a capacity of processing 1 lakh litres of milk per day.

The PCDF proposes to set up bulk milk coolers and the cow milk will be collected from 13 nearby districts that include the districts of Bundelkhand region. As this would be first of its kind all cow milk plant – the Pradeshik Cooperative Dairy Federation (PCDF) proposes to set up sound systems, including mobile tracking systems to check adulteration and ensure quality of the cow milk. The Uttar Pradesh State Industrial Development Corporation (UPSIDC) has arranged five to seven acre of land for the plant in Kannauj.