Expressing satisfaction over the progress in construction of Purvanchal Expressway, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Friday that the project should be completed within 24 months as the expressway would prove to be a milestone in the development of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
After reviewing the progress of the expressway in Sultanpur and Azamgarh, Yogi said that earth work should be completed by June 29, 2019 and the expressway should come up within 24 months.
The Chief Minister held a meeting with district officials and Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) brass at Azamgarh and gave them directions. Prior to the meeting, Yogi did an aerial survey of earth work being done in Sultanpur and met officials there.
“There should not be any law and order problem. It is the responsibility of district officials to ensure payment of compensation at the earliest. If District Magistrates face problems, they should talk to senior officials in the government and solve them at the earliest,” Yogi said.
The Chief Minister said that once completed, the Purvanchal Expressway would change the face of UP. “It will not only reduce commutation time between Delhi and east UP but also generate employment at the local level,” he said.
Yogi said that an industrial corridor would be set up on both sides of the expressway and it would generate employment and locals would get preference in these industries.
“The 341-km greenfield six-lane expressway will be the longest expressway in India and it will be possible to expand it to eight lanes. Construction companies have been asked to shift electric poles in such a way that they do not hamper daily life. “If need be, religious places also be shifted after taking local people into confidence,” the CM said, adding that in case of deforestation, the officials would have to plant more trees than what they cut.
The construction is being carried out in four packages with all-weather airstrip proposed at Sultanpur. The project will have seven bridges and an equal number of rail over bridges (ROBs). Water harvesting arrangements have also been done at the sides of the expressway.
The foundation for construction of Purvanchal Expressway was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 14 this year.