Link Ganga e-way with Varanasi, begin land acquisition: CM Yogi Adityanath

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday asked the officials to consider the possibility of linking the 602-km Ganga expressway with Varanasi in future.
He was reviewing the presentation on the Ganga Expressway by the chief executive officer of UPEIDA , Awanish Awasthi, at his official residence.
CM also gave directions to start the process of land acquisition for the Ganga Expressway project immediately.Yogi asked for a proposal to be presented to him within a week on the options for appointing a transaction advisor. The CM has also said that land for industrial development and commercial use along the expressway should be identified in advance.
Yogi said the design of the new road should minimise the possibility of road accidents.
Additional chief secretary, home, Awanish Awasthi said that the cabinet had given an in-principle approval for the project. Its detailed project report has been prepared and the expressway will start from the Delhi-Meerut Expressway and end at the NH-19 bypass in Prayagraj. The expressway will be about 602km long. Awasthi said that Rs 37,350 crore has been sanctioned for the project, while the cost of land acquisition is Rs 9,500 crore. About 7,200 hectare land will be acquired for it. The work will take place in 12 packages. Once completed, it will reduce the travel time between Delhi and Prayagraj from the current 11-12 hours to about 6 hours.
The expressway will link Meerut, Ghaziabad, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Amroha, Sambhal, Budaun, Shahjahanpur, Hardoi, Unnao, Rae Baeli, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj districts.