Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has emphasised the need to extend expressway coverage in Uttar Pradesh to improve connectivity. He has sought proposals for four new link expressways and has instructed officials to prepare a detailed action plan after conducting a comprehensive study.

The chief minister announced that the Purvanchal Expressway will be connected to the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, and the Ganga Expressway will link Farrukhabad and Jewar airport via two new link expressways. The construction of the Chitrakoot Link Expressway will also be expedited, with a goal to complete the Ganga Expressway by December 2024.

In a high-level meeting on Thursday, Chief Minister Yogi reviewed the ongoing and proposed expressway projects, industrial corridors and the defence industrial corridor, setting specific timelines for each.

He stressed the importance of accelerating the development of industrial clusters along the expressways and making necessary changes in the bylaws of industrial development authorities to attract more investments.

The Uttar Pradesh Defence Industrial Corridor has seen investments amounting to Rs 24,000 crore from major defence manufacturing companies across India and the world. The chief minister has directed officials to ensure that there are no delays in land acquisition and compensation processes. He has also called for the review of memorandums of understanding (MoUs) signed during the Global Investors Summit to ensure timely land availability and incentives.

Chief Minister Yogi highlighted the unprecedented progress in road infrastructure over the past seven years, transforming Uttar Pradesh into an ‘Expressway State’. He noted that the state, which had only two expressways in 2017, now boasts six, and the length of national highways has nearly doubled.

He also reviewed the progress of the Gorakhpur Link Expressway, which will enhance connectivity for the districts of Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Azamgarh, and Ambedkar Nagar. The Bundelkhand Expressway’s connection to Chitrakoot was also prioritised to improve regional connectivity.

To further enhance connectivity, Chief Minister Yogi proposed the construction of new link expressways from the Ganga Expressway to Jewar airport, and from the Agra-Lucknow Expressway to the Purvanchal Expressway. He instructed the preparation of detailed reports following preliminary studies and emphasised planting saplings along all expressways.

Investment proposals from the Global Investors Summit are to be continuously reviewed, with immediate decisions required to avoid delays in land allotment and incentive provision. The chief minister has called for updating the bylaws of industrial development authorities to reflect changing circumstances and facilitate investments.

The development of private industrial parks is to be prioritised, with industrial development authorities arranging land for these projects. Additionally, the land acquisition process within the newly established Bundelkhand Industrial Development Authority (BIDA) is expected to be expedited, alongside efforts to develop the multimodal logistics hub in Dadri and the multimodal transport hub in Boraki.