Jaypee deposits Rs 1,491 crore as bank guarantee

Expressway is expected to be completed in five years

Land acquisition to be completed in the next two years

Jaiprakash Associates on 24 March signed the concession agreement with UP authorities for the Rs 40,000-crore Ganga Expressway project and deposited Rs 1,491 crore as bank guarantee for this. Jaypee Ganga Infrastructure Corporation will implement the 1,047 km-long six lane access controlled Ganga Expressway, which will link Greater Noida with Ballia in eastern UP.

Jaiprakash Associates won the contract to build the Ganga expressway on the basis of its bid, which was the lowest at 14,000 hectares. The project, which was floated by UP chief minister Mayawati soon after returning to power last year, attracted bids from 19 bidders, including Reliance Energy, Unitech and Gammon. The winner is supposed to manage the construction cost through toll collection and the land given to it at a concessional rate by the government for private development.

Land acquisition for the project is likely to be completed in the next two years, following which the construction will start.

The expressway is expected to be completed in five years from now. Jaiprakash Associates will acquire land for development at six locations across the expressway: Secunderabad, Etah, Rae Bareilly, Pratapgarh, Mirzapur and Varanasi.

Jaiprakash Associates steers Ganga Expressway

Cement, power, real estate and construction player Jaiprakash Associates is implementing the 1000 km-long Ganga expressway, connecting Greater Noida to Ballia in UP, on a BOT basis. The project will require an investment of over Rs 6,000 crore but is expected to give the company a land bank of over 6,000 acres along the expressway.

It is doing it through its subsidiary Jaypee Infratech.

Jaiprakash Gaur's flagship company, Jaiprakash Associates was allotted the Noida-Agra ‘Taj Expressway’ project by Mayawati in her last tenure. The Mulayam Singh government had stalled the project soon after it came to power. Gaur is known to enjoy a comfortable relationship with Mayawati.

Gaur ranks 664 on list of The World's Billionaires 2007. He was ranked 30 among India's 40 Richest in 2006. Gaur founded his company in 1972. He believes that water is liquid gold.

Jaiprakash Associates Ltd. was the lowest bidder for the Rs 40000 crore Ganga Expressway, the 8-lane road project on the banks of river Ganga to connect eastern and western Uttar Pradesh. Jaiprakash Associates was followed by Reliance Energy. The others like Gammon India , Unitech and Zoom Developers were far behind.

On her pet project-Ganga Expressway- Mayawati was asked if the project had already been awarded to Jaiprakash Associates. She said only barren and non farmland would be acquired for the project.

Jaiprakash Associates, Gammon India, Unitech, a consortium led by Zoom Developers, and a consortium led by Reliance Energy are in the race for the project.

In the meanwhile, the move to include Jaiprakash Associates (JPA) in the Sensex has baffled quite a few market watchers. The stock was in the midst of a controversy just a few weeks back.

Irate fund managers pummelled the stock on lack of clarity regarding the company’s stake holding in its unlisted subsidiary Jaypee Infratech (JIL). Somehow, these fund managers got an impression that JPA’s holding in the subsidiary had fallen to 55% from 100% earlier.

Subsequently JPA executive chairman, Manoj Gaur clarified that the company held 100% in JIL and that there was no dilution. But the sagging stock price of JPA seems to indicate that minority shareholders are not convinced, despite a couple of rosy reports from leading brokerage houses giving the management a clean chit.

The stock price is down 28% over the last one month, and has more than halved from its highs in January. Also, market watchers point that both cement and construction — the two major business segments of JPA — are more than adequately represented in the Sensex.

Uttar Pradesh govt plans five more expressways

Combined length of 1,400km proposed; roads will be in vicinity of highways being developed by NHAI

The Uttar Pradesh government is planning five more expressways in the state even before it signs the concession agreement for the Rs40,000 crore Ganga Expressway project awarded in January.

And yet again, just as in the case of the Ganga Expressway, the proposed highways are coming up in the vicinity of the highways being developed by the National Highways Authority of India, or NHAI, the roads regulator.

“We will not approach the Centre for any kind of assistance in funding. As in the case of the Ganga Expressway, we will raise resources for these projects by leveraging land,” said an official, who was involved in the planning of the Ganga Expressway project as well, but did not wish to be identified.

Country roads: The Greater Noida expressway. UP had awarded the tender for the Rs40,000 crore Ganga Expressway project, which will connect Greater Noida with Baflia, to Jaypee Infratech Ltd in January.

Country roads: The Greater Noida expressway. UP had awarded the tender for the Rs40,000 crore Ganga Expressway project, which will connect Greater Noida with Baflia, to
Jaypee Infratech Ltd in January.

The tender for the Ganga Expressway project, which will connect Greater Noida with Ballia, was awarded to Jaypee Infratech Ltd in January. The concessionaire is expected to be leased around 7,000ha of land for commercial development in order to construct the expressway.

Jaypee had sought land worth Rs293.55 crore for property development along the expressway in order to construct the expressway.

The five proposed expressways will have a combined length of around 1,400km.
“We do not have a clear idea as to how much land will be required to be set aside for these projects, but we will be able to work out those details only after a few months,” the same official said.

The proposed expressways include the Greater Noida-Saharanpur-Dehradun (in partnership with the Uttarakhand state government) stretch apart from Jhansi-Lucknow, Lucknow-Gorakhpur, Agra-Kanpur-Lucknow and Farrukhabad-Kotdwar expressways.

The proposal for these projects is being developed by the state public works department. “First we will seek environmental clearance for these projects and then the proposals will go to the state cabinet for approval,” the official said.
Planning Commission member Anwarul Hoda said that the apex planning organization in the country has not yet been informed about the state’s plans to go in for more expressways. “We have not been told about these projects,” he said.

Earlier, the Planning Commission had held discussions with the UP administration on the Ganga Expressway project in order to see whether the project linked up with existing highway networks in the state. It gave the go-ahead despite the overlap with the highways being developed by NHAI.

“Tolling on these roads will barely pay for operations and management expenses,” said a consultant with a project management company, who did not wish to be quoted.

“Remember, these roads are along the same alignment as existing NHAI national highways, which means traffic is going to be shared. So, the capital cost recovery will come from the land component only. If you are in the business of building highways, then why do you need all this land.”

March 6 2008
Mint

Ganga Expressway already accorded environmental clearance

Updates on Ganga highway project

State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority of Uttar Pradesh has accorded environmental clearance to Ganga Expressway Project in August 2007.

They received representations for the project in which issues such as intensification of sedimentation of Ganga River, impact on bio diversity, reduction in the flow have been raised.

The project proponents have been asked by the secretariat of State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority to carry out comprehensive environmental impact assessment and make necessary changes incorporating the environmental issues.

Source: SteelGuru, March 2008

UP govt determined to move ahead with Expressway project

Lucknow
Even as the Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh, especially the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) continue to rally against Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati’s pet project, the Ganga Expressway, the state government remains unmoved in its bid to go ahead with the project.

The Opposition's scathing attack on the BSP government for allegedly giving undue benefits to the contractor of the project, JP Industries, at the cost of the farmers, as well as rendering thousands of hectares of fertile land into concrete waste are being seen by the government as a “:absolutely baseless and superfluous”:.

An official in the industries department said, according to the concept paper prepared by the irrigation department and an estimation of state public works department, embankments to be built along the proposed Ganga Expressway will save around 3.40-lakh hectare land from floods.

“:It is expected that this 3.40-lakh hectare of land, which is single crop yielding due to floods at present, will be converted to multi-crop fertile land after the completion of the expressway and embankments. Hence, thousands of farmers will be able to reap benefits of at least double crop,”: the official said.

The proposed 1,047-km, access-controlled, 8-lane expresway from Ballia to Greater Noida is to be 155 metre wide, including the width of the embankments and service roads.

According to the government records, the proposed land-parcels to be given to developer for development, which is around 12,281 hectare, largely includes infertile and barren land.

3 March 2008
Financial Express


State government refuses to reveal land rates for Ganga Expressway

The state government today refused to inform the assembly the rates of compensation for land acquisition in the Ganga Expressway project.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma maintained that compensation will be according to the agreement between the farmers and developers.

But he refused to clarify if the price offered will be the circle rate, market rate or a mutually negotiated rate.

The government also refused to reply why the farmers in Agra — whose land is being acquired for the Taj Expressway Project — were being forced by the administration to accept a compensation of Rs 2-3 lakh per hectare, when the market rate was over Rs 40 lakh per hectare.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour, RLD member Dharm Singh alleged that the farmers were brutally beaten up by the police PAC when they went to meet the divisional commissioner to lodge their protest on February 24. He also alleged that the farmers are being pressurised by the local administration and police to accept the cheques.

Denying any incident of lathicharge on farmers in Agra, Verma, however, did not comment on the compensation rate.

Earlier, the minister had assured the assembly that work on the ambitious Rs 40,000 crore Ballia-Greater Noida Ganga Expressway will start only after getting the No Objection Certificates from different departments — environment, pollution board, forest and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

He said the developer had been directed by the government to get the NOCs before commencing work. “The condition is there in the agreement made with the developer,” he added.

The minister also contradicted the Opposition claim that over 21 lakh trees will be felled for the project. “There is no question of cutting down a large number of trees. Besides, the mega project will free over 3.40 lakh hectares of land from the grip of floods,” he underlined.

Answering a question on industrial development in the state, the minister said between March 2004 and March 2007, investment amounting to Rs 5555.30 crore has been flowed in.

Without giving details, he said 347 big and medium industrial units had been set up in that period.

Asked how the government will meet the target of Rs 5 lakh crore investment in the next 5 yrs, he said bad law and order in the past was the chief reason behind the dismal progress of investment.

28 February, 2008
Indian Express



U.P. Govt. defends Ganga expressway project

LUCKNOW: The Mayawati government defended the Rs.40,000-crore Ballia to Noida Ganga expressway project despite doubts expressed by the Opposition members, who alleged that the scheme was a cover up for a land scam.

Dismissing the allegations made by the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party as baseless, State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma said in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly that the 1,047-km-long Ganga expressway would provide fillip to the development of Uttar Pradesh.

Raising the issue during zero-hour, the leader of the BJP Legislature party, Om Prakash Singh, demanded that the documents related to the project should be placed before the House. Mr. Singh said the Rs.40,000-crore scheme had been awarded to a company ( J.P Associates ) whose net worth was over Rs.11,000 crore.

The BJP member said the same company had been awarded the Taj expressway project by the previous Mayawati regime but no work was done by it in the last five years and it was only recently that some levelling power had been initiated when the Bahujan Samaj Party government was formed in the State.

Mr. Singh alleged that acres of land in nine districts situated on the banks of the Ganga had been given to the company and said that land was bought by senior State government officials in Noida and Greater Noida even before the project was given the nod. The BJP member alleged that the alignment of land was being done keeping in mind the project. Radha Mohan Das Agarwal (BJP) expressed the apprehension that the project would only extend from Noida to Kanpur. He suggested that instead of beginning the construction of the expressway from Noida the government should announce that the building of eight-lane highway would start from Ballia. The BJP member said the Government should wait till the completion of the Golden Quadrilateral project before starting work on the Ganga expressway.

Ambika Chaudhary (Samajwadi Party) alleged that the government was not interested in the scheme and only wanted to extend benefits to JP Associates. Stating that the Ganga was the lifeline of UP, the SP member said several Most Backward Classes like Mallah, Nishad and Bind who sowed vegetables and fruits on the banks of the river would be robbed of their livelihood once the project was completed.

20 February, 2008
The Hindu

UP Assembly: Opposition rallies against Ganga Expressway project

Even as the Uttar Pradesh Government refused to table the documents on Ganga Expressway project in the state Assembly on Tuesday, the opposition parties — Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Samajwadi Party (SP) — launched scathing attacks on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government for allegedly giving undue benefits to the contractor of the project, Jai Prakash Industries, at the cost of the farmers.

The government, however, claimed that the project was awarded to the JP group in a transparent manner. Not satisfied with the Government’s reply, agitated BJP members staged a walkout.

Raising the issue through an adjournment motion during Zero Hour, BJP Legislature Party leader Om Prakash Singh demanded tabling of all documents related to the expressway project. He alleged that top government leaders received huge “kickbacks” by awarding the contract to the JP Group. He added that if the project is not implemented, then the land acquired for the purpose will remain with the private developer and not be returned to the farmers.

Singh further alleged the project has been awarded to the private company without seeking mandatory clearances from the environment, pollution and archaeology departments. “How can a company with net worth of Rs 11,1290 crore be awarded a project worth Rs 40,000 crore? Moreover, the JP Group was given the contract for Taj Expressway five years ago. So far, not even an inch of that highway — supposed to link Noida with Agra — has been constructed,” said Singh.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Lalji Verma faced a difficult time while replying to the Opposition charges. He, however, said that to ensure the smooth execution of the project, a clause for “performance guarantee” has been provided in the agreement. “It was incorrect to suggest that land will not be returned to the farmers if the project is not executed. It will be decided by arbitration by a retired High Court judge,” he added.

Verma, while contradicting the allegations of the Opposition, said the concerned private company will seek all clearance before the start of the project. He added the Ganga Flood Control Commission in Patna and Environment Impact Assessment Authority have given the project No Objection Certificate (NOC). Moreover, the distance between the highway and the riverbed will be according to the guidelines of the Flood Control Commission.

The state parliamentary affairs minister further said that the UP State Pollution Control Board has suggested that NOC from the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment was not required for the construction of marginal embankment along the course of Ganga.

He further said that in June 2007, the pollution board had given NOC to the state irrigation department regarding the construction of marginal embankment along the course of Ganga from Narora to Varanasi.

The irrigation department has called for the need to construct a 13,862-km long flood control embankments, of which, a 1,200 km-long stretch will have to be constructed along the Ganga.

Verma said with the Ganga Expressway coming up, there will be no need for any 1,200-km long embankment, as this was not merely a road project but also a flood control project. The minister added that the expressway will protect over 3 lakh hectares of cultivable land from floods. “The project is a milestone for the state and it will certainly boost job opportunities. Traders and farmers will also benefit,” he added. Verma also said that only 28,000 hectares of land had been given to the promoter and all precautions are being taken to make the project transparent.

Indian Express
February 19, 2008


Panel studying financial bids for Ganga Expressway project

LUCKNOW: Financial bids from five companies for developing the 1,047-km Ganga Expressway project, linking Noida and Ballia, have been referred to an Empowered Committee headed by the Chief Secretary, amid reports that Manoj Gaur- run JP Associates has bagged the contract.

The proposals submitted by five companies - Gammon India, Unitech India, Zoom Developers Consortium, Reliance Energy Consortium and JP Associates - were found to be in order and thus were referred to the Committee, an official source said here today.

The committee would submit its recommendations to the State Cabinet, which would then zero in on the company to carry out the project that is estimated to cost Rs 40,000 crore, the source said.

The state government had invited Request For Qualification (RFQ), attracting proposals from 20 infrastructure majors, which were reduced to 18 after evaluation on December 13 last year, the source said.

The project would require over 64,000 hectares of land, of which 70 per cent is farm land, generating a ripple of protest from political parties.

The Expressway, which promises to reduce travel time from Ballia to Noida to about 10 hours, is seeking to develop regions in the state by opening 10 major economic and development zones of 4,000-5,000 acres each along the stretch.

The project is divided in four parts - Greater Noida to Fatehgarh, Fatehgarh to Dalmau, Dalmau to Aurai and from there to Ballia.

The 18 developers which were in contention to grab the project included Jaiprakash Associates, GMR, DLF, Leighton, Punj Lloyd, Reliance Energy, Unitech, Omaxe in consortium with GVK and NCC, Bajaj, SNC Lavalin, Galfar and Plus Expressway of Malaysia.

Meanwhile, Jaiprakash Associates has reportedly bagged the ambitious project to develop the Expressway.

Seeking to blunt the attacks by the opposition, the state government has announced a comprehensive relief and rehabilitation package for farmers and those displaced due to the project.

The package includes allotment of residential plots measuring 150 sqm in urban areas and 250 sqm in rural areas free of cost to those whose land is acquired, 15 per cent quota for affected people in the allotment of flats and plots in industrial pockets to be developed along the Expressway.

The relief also includes Monthly Displacement Allowance equivalent to minimum wage of agriculture labour for a period of one year, lump sum ex-gratia of Rs 25,000 for construction of an alternative work shed to the affected besides Rs 10,000 for shifting, a government source said.

BJP and Samajwadi Party have announced to hold sit-ins on January 15 in all the districts affected by the project, which according to them would not only affect farmers but also damage the environment.

PTI
14 January, 2008


Eighteen Developers short listed for Ganga Express-way Project

Lucknow : December 17, 2007 Eighteen developers have been short listed for the eastern

U.P. (Varanasi - Ballia) to western U.P. (Noida) Ganga Express-way Project. The outcome of the visionary approach of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Km. Mayawati, this ambitious project has the potential to remove regional imbalances. The 18 developers short listed for this project, include international as well as national level developers.

Five major foreign construction developers, which have been short-listed, are Plus Expressway - Malaysia, Galfar - Ashoka - Sadbhav, Leighton India - Oriental Structural Engg, Ssang Young & Yougraj and SNC Lavalin.

The 13 national level developers which have been short listed are MacQuare Securities - Gammon Infrastructure, GMR, Jaiprakash Associates, Galfar - Madhucon, Galfar - SPML, DLF, L&T - ECC, Punj Lloyd, Zoom Developers - CentrodorstroyIndia, Reliance Energy, Unitech, Omaxe - GVK - NCC and Bajaj - Appolo - DSC Construction.

For the Express-way Project, on the basis of public - private partnership an investment of Rs. 40 thousand crore and of Rs. 80 thousand crore in the development sector is expected. For the first time in the country any state is planning and executing a project of such large magnitude.

Since the investment for the project will be from the participation of the private sector therefore there will be no financial burden on the Government and its role will that be of a facilitator. 36 Tehsils of 19 districts will benefit from the Ganga Express-way. These include Sadar, Dalmau, Lalganj, Salon and Unchahar tehsils of RaiBareli district, Bighapur and Sadar tehsils of Unnao district, Jamania and Mohammadabad tehsils of Ghazipur district, Sadar tehsil of Varanasi district, Kunda tehsil of Pratapgarh district, Soraon, Phoolpur, Handia, Karchana, Meja and Sadar tehsils of Allahabad district, Sadar, Kayamganj and Amritpur tehsils of Farrukhabad district, Dataganj, Sahaswan, Gunnaur and Badaun tehsils of Badaun district, Sadar, Bansdeeh, Beria tehsils of Ballia district, Gyanpur and Aurai tehsils of Bhadoi district, Khurja, Dibai, Shikarpur tehsils of Bulandshahar district, Sandila, Bilgram, Savaijpur tehsils of Hardoi district and Jalalabad tehsil of Shahjahanpur district. Apart from these, Etah, Kannauj, Kanpur Dehat, Kanpur Nagar, Kaushambi and Mirzapur districts will also benefit from this.

This project will be constructed on the embankments on the left bank of the river Ganga. It may be noted that the left bank of Ganga River is more devastated by floods. Hence millions of flood affected will get relief through this project and the farmers of these areas will get the opportunity to procure two crops, which in turn will improve their financial status. 10 major development areas, each of approximately four to five thousand acres will be developed in the Express-way Project. These areas will be equipped with infrastructure facilities like electricity, water, roads, health services, educational institutions and housing.

In the development area, industries will be established in 10 thousand acres. Through five hundred large-scale industries six to seven thousand persons will gain employment while three lakh persons will be directly or indirectly employed in medium and small-scale industries.

The local population gets maximum opportunities of employment in these industries, for this technical/commercial educational and training institutes will be established in the development areas in fifteen hundred acres. 20 ITI level, 10 Polytechnic level and 5 Engineering level institutes along with Medical College and various Paramedical schools will also be established providing employment to 20 thousand persons as well as benefiting 20 thousand students. 5 hundred agro-based large and small-scale industries will also be established which in turn will directly benefit the farmers.

It is expected that seven to eight lakh persons will either reside or work in these areas in the next ten years. To serve them, commercial establishments, shops, hotels, bus stations, truck terminus, buses and taxies will also operate which in turn will provide employment to one to two lakh persons.

Source: CM office

Presentation on Ganga Expressway Project on December 10 at New Delhi to get no objection

Lucknow : November 30, 2007 On the directives of the U.P. Chief Minister Km. Mayawati, a high level meeting between the State Cabinet Secretary Mr. Shashank Shekhar Singh, Secretary M.O.R.T.H. Government of India (GOI) Mr. Brahma Dutt and Chairman National Highways Authority of India Mr. N. Gokul Ram was held here today.

The meeting was presided over by the Cabinet Secretary. During the meeting, it was decided that a presentation would be made at the M.O.R.T.H. Government of India, New Delhi on December 10, 2007 for obtaining no objection certificate for the project. The members of the Planning Commission would also be invited at the presentation. After the presentation the Ministry would initiate process for issuing N.O.C.

The Principal Secretary PWD Mr. Ravindra Singh, during the meeting, informed that the M.O.R.T.H. had not issued N.O.C. so far for the construction of Ganga Expressway Project. Mr. Brahma Dutt said that the U.P. Government had sent projects for approval under the special package to his Ministry. He assured that the Ministry would adopt a constructive approach and approve more and more projects.

He said that the construction of roads was a land based activity and it was a matter of joy that the State Government was undertaking this project on its own with the cooperation of private sector. He expressed the hope that it would set an example for other States to follow.

The Cabinet Secretary Mr. Singh assured the officers of the Government of India that the State Government would extend full cooperation in the projects of the Authority being undertaken in the State. He said that it was necessary to pay special focus to maintain the present surfaces of those roads which were being widened and strengthened by the Authority. He said that due to lack of maintenance the transportation had become disadvantageous. He said that the State Government would remove all the hurdles coming in way of the construction of the roads being undertaken by the Authority on war-footing.

The projects being run for the improvement of the national highways and by the N.H.A.I. were also discussed at the meeting. The issues of land acquisition, utility shifting, cutting of trees, cutting of Jajmau Tila from the Kanpur side of the Ganga Bridge, removal of encroachment were also discussed at the meeting by the Chairman of the Authority and other officers. The Chairman of the Authority was also informed that the Nodal officer of the projects and the Principal Secretary PWD Mr. Ravindra Singh had disposed of most of the problems during last few months through regular meetings. The Cabinet Secretary assured of the officers of the Authority that the problems coming in way of the projects being conducted by the Authority would be removed at the earliest, so that all the projects could be completed in a time bound manner. The concerning officers of the State Government had been directed to issue necessary G.O.s.

The Secretary Transport Ministry assured that more and more proposals sent by the State Government under the Central Road Fund Project and Inter-state Connectivity Project would be approved, so that the Union Government could provide more funds for the development of State Highways. He also assured that more works would be sanctioned for the maintenance and improvement of National Highways passing through the State.

The meeting was attend by Chief Secretary Mr. Prashant Kumar Mishra, Deputy G.M. N.H.A.I. Mr. J.S. Parmar, Principal Secretary Energy Mr. V.N. Garg, Principal Secretary Forest Mr. Srikrishna, Principal Secretary Culture Mr. Ashok Ghosh, Principal Secretary Revenue Mr. Pankaj Agarwal, Principal Secretary Planning Mr. V. Venkatachalam, Principal Secretary PWD and other senior officers of the State and GOI.

Source: CM office

Ganga Expressway to link Ballia with Noida

Work on 853-km-long eight-lane expressway likely to start in January 2008

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on Wednesday unveiled an ambitious road project that would link the backward Eastern UP with the more prosperous Western UP. The Ganga Expressway Project from Ballia to Noida was granted Cabinet approval on Wednesday and the work on building the 853- km-long access-controlled eight-lane expressway is likely to begin in January 2008.

Environmental clearance for the project costing around Rs. 40,000 crore was obtained from the Union Government on August 29. The project would be developed by private promoters with the State Government playing the role of a facilitator. The State Government is in the process of appointing consultants for the project and the open competitive bidding process would be launched once the techno-economic feasibility report is obtained from the consultants.

Land for developing the project would be given to private players at acquisition cost with the developers allowed to develop residential, industrial and institutional areas for making it economically viable for the promoters.

Inspiration for building the Ganga Expressway was sought from Sher Shah Suri, who built the Grand Trunk Road in the 16th Century after temporarily displacing Humayun from the Mughal throne. In fact, a visual presentation on the project at the Chief Minister’s official residence at 5 Kalidas Marg here drew a parallel with the legendary G T Road. But unlike Suri’s G T Road which ran alongside the right bank of the Ganga, Ms. Mayawati’s expressway would be built on the left bank of the river.

Unveiling the project, the Chief Minister said at a press conference here that the expressway would originate from Ballia and pass through Ghazipur, Ramnagar, Varanasi, Chunar, Bhadohi, Mirzapur, Allahabad, Unchahar, Unnao, Kanpur, Bithoor, Kannauj, Fatehgarh, Budaun, Narora and Bulandshahr before reaching Noida. A small part of the expressway between Noida and Narora would not run along the course of the river, she added.

Ms. Mayawati said the expressway would be constructed on the proposed marginal embankment to be built by the State Irrigation Department for controlling floods on the left bank of the Ganga. From Narora the expressway will be built on the embankment on the left bank of the river up to Narainpur in Ghazipur district. When completed, the travel time between Eastern and Western UP would be cut short by 16 hours and it would take around eight hours to zip across from Varanasi to Delhi.

Besides, linked expressways have also been proposed. These are Jhansi-Kanpur Link Expressway, Kanpur-Gorakhpur Link Expressway, Agra-Kanpur Link Expressway and Baghpat-Saharanpur- Hardwar-Dehradun Link Expressway.

The Chief Minister emphasised that the network of world class roads will speed up development of the State and also help in removing regional imbalances.

Explaining the nuances of the project, Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said the river embankment would be widened to cover a width of 100 metres for the eight-lane expressway. He said it would open up employment opportunities and give a fillip to tourism, besides ensuring the revival of towns like Mirzapur, Bhadohi, Kannauj and Bithoor.

He said satellite mapping had been done and the expressway would be situated about 1.5 km away from the water flow. The river’s drainage system will not be disturbed and the displacement of population will be minimal. The proposed expressway will have four major bridges, three major bridges on canals, eight railway over bridges, 256 small bridges, 60 flyovers and 225 underpasses.

The Hindu
Sep 06, 2007

Travel time between Eastern U.P. and Western U.P. to be cut short by 16 hours

Lucknow : September05, 2007 The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Km. Mayawati has said that a 1000 km.-long ultra modern expressway would be constructed on the banks of river Ganga. This would be first of its kind in the world. The 'Eastern U.P. (Varanasi-Ballia) to western U.P. (NOIDA) Ganga expressway would link Ballia with NOIDA. This 8-lane expressway costing about Rs. 40,000 crore would be constructed by using the latest technology and it would have all the modern facilities as well.

She said that to translate the project into reality, work would begin very soon. After the completion of this project the travel time would be cut short to eight hours only which is at present 20-24 hrs. This would save the time as well as the fuel of vehicles.

After a visually-aided presentation of the project at her 5-Kalidas Marg residence here today, the Chief Minister, addressing a press conference said that the decision to construct the project had been taken with a view to create a network of world-class roads in the State so that the people could be benefited by fast moving travel system. The State Government has included creation of development-oriented atmosphere in its top priorities.

Moreover, creation of employment opportunities is not possible without developing infrastructure. Therefore, while deciding the priorities of infrastructure to ensure all-round development, giving a boost to sectors like energy, employment infrastructure development centres, world-level infrastructure of roads, excellent transport system, agriculture and urban regeneration has also been emphasised.

Giving information to the media persons, Km. Mayawati, said on the occasion that the expressway would originate from Ballia and pass through Varanasi, Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Unnao, Shahjahanpur, Badaun, Bulandshahr and link NOIDA with Poorvanchal. It would have world class latest amenities like petrol pumps, telephones booths, cybercafés, food-courts and emergency medical facilities etc.

This expressway would be constructed by building flood control embankments on river Ganga. This multi-purpose and ambitious project would benefit entrepreneurs, traders, citizens and people of the rural areas among others. It would ensure rapid development of the backward areas situated on the left bank of river Ganga. She said that after the completion of the project the economic and social development would get a new dimension.

The C.M. said that keeping an eye on the uniform development of the backward areas situated on the left bank of river Ganga, the State Government intends to complete the multi-purpose project in quick time. The allround development of Poorvanchal was the first and foremost commitment of the Government, she pointed out.

This project would remove the regional imbalances and benefit farmers, labourers, unemployed youths and other sections of the society, she said. Expressway's connectivity with Delhi would open new vistas for the unemployed youths of the State, because a large number of Business Process Outsourcing (B.P.O.s) and IT industries would set up their units here she added.

Km. Mayawati said that the major benefit accruing from this project would be that it would drastically cut short the distance between the far-flung areas of eastern U.P. and Delhi. Smooth plying of vehicles had become very difficult because of uncontrolled entry of vehicles on the roads and a large variety of vehicles.

This had sent the State's transport system into disarray, adversely affecting the State's business activities, as constant impediments caused delay, increase fuel consumption and transport cost and the goods start decaying as well.

This project would benefit the entrepreneurs and traders by cutting down, both travel time and fuel expenses. The project would also help in re-energising the traditional industries based in areas like Bhadohi, Kannauj and Khurja etc. and also help the weavers and craftsmen to improve their economic condition effectively.

Besides, it would also ensure revival of ancient and historic cities like Mirzapur, Bithur etc. situated on the bank of river Ganga. The C.M. said that proposals for linking other prominent cities of the State like Agra, Jhansi, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Saharanpur, Banvasa etc.with this expressway were also under consideration. Detailed proposals were being prepared, so that the pace of development could be accelerated and U.P. could become a frontline and prosperous State of the country.

Km. Mayawati said that the setting up of the industrial areas along with the 'Eastern U.P. (Varanasi-Balia) to Western U.P. (NOIDA) Ganga Expressway Project was also proposed. This would ensure rapid economic development of the area on one hand, while on the other it would provide employment opportunities to a large number of youths in the region.

This expressway would also provide opportunities to the farmers to transport their crops, especially those which decay quickly, to Delhi and other remote markets in a considerably short time. This would help them increase their income and their crops would also not decay.

The C.M. said that the project would ensure all-round development of Poorvanchal. The project would have dual benefits as it would ensure smooth transport facilities on one hand, while on the other it would stop erosion of land and save lakhs of hectares of cultivable land.

A large number of people residing in villages situated on the banks of river Ganga and facing the fury of floods year after year would be the biggest beneficiaries of this project. The present U.P. Government was making efforts for the progress of backward areas by removing regional imbalances.

In this regard, the Chief Minister had met the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh on July 20 last and demanded a special package of Rs. 80,000 crore for the all-round development of the State including the backward areas of Bundelkhand and Poorvanchal. This included a demand of Rs. 9,400 crore for meeting the challenges of infrastructure facilities in Poorvanchal.

Besides, Rs. 2,200 crore have also been demanded by the Chief Minister to meet the challenge of floods in Eastern U.P. Terming investment of huge capital as imperative for quick economic progress, Km. Mayawati said that the project would be developed on the basis of private investment in which the Government's role would be that of a facilitator.

Besides, the Government aims to provide security to the weaker and poor sections of the society, which include labourers, small and marginal farmers and farm workers. To provide them large scale employment opportunities, the Government was making arrangement for capital investment, so that these sections could also improve their economic condition.

The present U.P. Government, led by the Chief Minister, Km. Mayawati had taken a resolve to establish a society based on equality by following the ideology of 'Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay'. Under it, the State Government had included creation of development-oriented atmosphere in its top priorities. The greenery along with the expressway would effectively check pollution and fulfill the need of environment protection.

This project would open up a new chapter in the development of Uttar Pradesh, the largest State in the country, as India was fast emerging as the new economic engine of the world.

The project aims at prosperity and progress of all the people of the State, she added. ******* 'Eastern U.P. (Varanasi-Balia) to western U.P. (NOIDA) Ganga expressway project : Some important points

• Quick to and fro facilities and transportation of goods are the deciding factors for economic development of any State. Therefore, development of infrastructure was key to India's progress. There is a need for network of good roads for the proper transportation of goods and ever-increasing traffic. It has become imperative to develop a new network of roads.

• The U.P. Government has taken cognizance of increasing goods transportation traffic, which doubles in a span of 10-13 years. On the basis of these facts, inadequate road infrastructure was a serious problem for the State. The holy city of Varanasi is connected with New Delhi through National Highway No.-2 (N.H.2) and it passes through the State capital in the form of N.H.56 and N.H.24. This highway is the life line of the State and presently carries the burden of some important cities of the State.

• The State Government has decided to construct an eight-lane 'Eastern U.P. (Varanasi-Balia) to western U.P. (NOIDA) Ganga expressway between Ballia and Greater NOIDA, which will have controlled entry from important cities. This expressway will be constructed on the proposed marginal embankment of the State Irrigation Department to be built for controlling floods on the left bank of river Ganga. A small part of the expressway between Greater NOIDA and Narora, will be situated on the ground.

• The express highway will originate near Freight Container Depot in Sikandrabad. The part of the expressway from the starting point to Narora will not follow the banks of river Ganga. After Narora, the expressway will be constructed on the left marginal embankment of river Ganga till Narainpur in Gazipur district.

• The expressway will pass through Gautam Buddhanagar, Bulandshahr, Badaun, Shahjahanpur, Fatehgarh, Farrukhabad, Hardoi, Unnao, Raebareli, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Sant Ravidasnagar, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Chandauli and Gazipur. It will be 100mts. wide.

• The proposed expressway will be of eight-lanes and every four-lanes will be divided by a median of 0.50 meter width. The width of the roads from all sides will be 14.5 meters. On every side of the road a 2.5 meter wide kacchi strip will be left. The median will be 0.50 meter wide. Since, the embankment will be 7-8 meter high, construction of a metal beam crash barrier on the sides of the expressway has been proposed for the safety of the users.

• The initial design of the project shows that on the subsidiary rivers of entire length of expressway will have four major bridges, three major bridges on canals, eight railway over bridges, 256 small bridges, eight flyovers on crossings of National Highways, 12 flyovers on crossings of State highways, 40 flyovers and 225 under pass on crossings on main district roads/other districts roads.

• Service roads will be constructed on some spots for local traffic facilities. Expressway has been designed for the speed of 120 kms. per hour. Drains will be constructed on the sides and on the breath, besides the energy disposers for the proper water drainage.

• This project will provide the most needed and direct access to eastern Uttar Pradesh especially the holy city of Varanasi. As a result, tourism and investment will come to the State, besides the savings in vehicle movements cost. The city traffic density will decrease due to the diversion of heavy traffic towards expressway. Air and noise pollution caused by vehicles will also be reduced in urban areas.

• The entire project will be in the State of U.P. and the kachhar areas of Ganga river. The length of the project will be situated 1.5 kms. away from the Ganga river water flow.

• All the districts from which the expressway passes have proper distribution of rains during summer and monsoon seasons. • Expressway crosses through the subsidiary rivers, nullahs, canals and the tributaries of Ganga river.

• The water drainage of the project's affected areas is being made through the medium of Ganga river. This river is the principal source of water in expressway length.

• Three sub-rivers, three canals and 236 small tributaries cross the proposed express highway. Ganga river flows beside the expressway and the expressway does not cross the Ganga river anywhere in its entire length.

Source: CM Office

Ganga expressway to connect NCR-Varanasi

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government is contemplating an ambitious 747-kilometer Ganga express highway project connecting the NCR region with the eastern parts of the state.

Starting from freight container depot at Sikandarabad in Gautam Buddha Nagar, the 747-km-long express highway will touch Narora in Bulandshahr district and move along with the left bank of River Ganga up to Varanasi. The proposed eight-lane highway would pass through Bulandshahr, Badaun, Shahjhanpur, Fatehgarh, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae bareli, Pratapgarh, Allahabad, Sant Ravidas Nagar, Mirzapur and Varanasi districts.

State Government had hired Engineering and Technological Services, a New Delhi based company to prepare the feasibility report for the project which it had already submitted, sources said.

The Mayawati government plans to spend Rs 137080 million on the construction of the road.

PWD official said National Highway -2 connects Varanasi with the National Capital Region (NCR). Other highways including NH 56 and NH 24 passing through Lucknow were considered life lines of Uttar Pradesh.

The movement of freight transport as well as passenger transport would double after ten years and new road network was required for faster movement of the traffic. Irrigation Department had been directed to construct an eight- foot-high and 40-meter-wide bund along the left bank of river from Narora to Varanasi.

Irrigation Department officials said Rs 9160 crore would be spent on the construction of 627-km embankment along Ganga Express highway.

Along with assuring faster movement of traffic (120 km/per hour), the embankment would protect the nearby low-lying areas from recurrent flood.

Along with the road, PWD would construct three major river bridges, three major canal bridges, eight railway over bridges, 236 minor bridges, four flyovers on the national highway crossings, 10 flyovers on the state highway, 36 flyovers on the major district road and 210 underpasses.

A Service road would be constructed along the highway for the movement of local traffic. The new highway would attract investment and promote tourism in the region.

It would also help in the reclamation of the three lakh hectare land that would be used for agriculture, development of township, industrialization and afforestration, sources said.

UNI
August 06, 2007

Ganga Expressway - This project was announced in 2007 by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati. At 1000 km, it will be India's longest expressway. It will link Noida, on Uttar Pradesh's western border with Delhi to Ballia, on Uttar Pradesh's eastern border with Bihar. The expressway wil run along the left bank of the Ganga river, in contrast to the Grand Trunk Road which is on the right bank. The expected cost is Rs 40,000 crore ($10 billion). This expressway should reduce the travel time between Delhi and Varanasi to 8 hours. The project is expected to be completed in 2011

The National Highways Bill, passed in 1995, provides for private investment in the building and maintenance of the highways.

Recently, a number of new roads have been classified as "NHs" in a move to provide national connectivity even to remote places. Bypasses have also recently been constructed around larger towns and cities to provide uninterrupted passage for highway traffic. The varied climactic, demographic, traffic, and sometimes political situation, prevents these highways from having a uniform character. They range from fully-paved, six-lane roads in some areas, to unpaved stretches in remote places.

Many NH's are still being upgraded or are under construction. There are long NH's to connect the metros together, as well as short spurs off the highway to provide connectivity to nearby ports or harbors. The longest National Highway is the NH7,which runs between Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, at the southernmost point of the Indian mainland, covering a distance of 2369 km, and passing through various metros like Jabalpur, Nagpur, Hyderabad and Bangalore. The shortest NH is the NH47A, which spans 6 km, to the Ernakulam - Kochi Port.

India has a vast network of National Highways. India's highways connect all the major cities and state capitals. Most are 2-lane highways. In some more developed areas they may broaden to 4 lanes, while close to big cities, highways can sometimes expand to 8 lanes. India has the distinction of having the world's highest-altitude motorable highway, Leh-Manali Highway, connecting Shimla to Leh in Ladakh, Kashmir.

It is claimed that Highways form the economic backbone of the country. Highways have often facilitated development along their routes, and many new towns have sprung up along major highways. Highways are dotted with local restaurants or inns popularly known as Dhabas. They serve popular local cuisine local cuisine and also serve as truck stops.

Under former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, India launched a massive program of highway upgrades, called the National Highway Development Project (NHDP), in which the main north-south and east-west connecting corridors and highways connecting the four metropolitan cities have been fully paved and widened into 4-lane highways.

Some of the Busy National Highway sectors in India have been converted to 4 or 6 lane expressways – for example, Delhi-Agra, Delhi-Jaipur, Ahmedabad-Vadodara, Mumbai-Pune, Mumbai-Surat, Bangalore-Mysore, Bangalore-Chennai, Chennai-Tada, Hyderabad-Vijayawada and Guntur-Vijayawada. Phase V of the National Highway Development Project is to convert all 6000 km of the Golden Quadrilateral Highways to 6-lane highways/expressways by 2012.