The lok Gatbandhan Party shot off a letter to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to ensure transparency in the construction of prestigious Purvanchal Expressway from lucknow to Ghazipur.
The party has also drawn the attention of the Chief Minister how large-scale financial irregularities was committed in the construction of 300-km-long Agra-lucknow Expressway allegedly by the previous Samajwadi Party government.
Party state unit coordinator S N Singh in his letter, copy of which released to the media, said since the Yogi Adityanath government had promised a clean, transparent and accountable administration, it should now be amply demonstrated in the construction of the Purvanchal Expressway.
As a part of transparency the lGP has suggested that apart from ensuring full transparency in land acquisition process, the government should also properly scrutinise the detail project report with especial emphasis on its cost.
The party said while close monitoring of work in the field tendering process should be honest. The party said cost estimates should be carefully scrutinized by a team of engineers of ‘unimpeachable integrity’.
Construction of a six-lane expressway should not cost more than Rs 15 crore per km. In case of Agra Expressway it has come to Rs 50 crore, which was extremely high. It is learnt that the original cost of Agra Expressway was between Rs 8000 and Rs 9000 crore which was later inflated to Rs 15000 crore, the party said.
The attention of the previous Samajwadi Party government was drawn towards ongoing bungling in the Agra Expressway but there was no response. The party said even the cost of proposed 80-km outer ring of lucknow is reportedly estimated to be Rs 50 crore per km.
The party has reminded the Chief Minister that the Agra-lucknow Expressway was mired into controversies because of highly inflated cost, which was even against the established norms. The lGP said in view of massive financial bungling the Agra Expressway has turned out to a costly venture at the cost of the state exchequer.