UP clears Phase II of Yamuna E-way

The second phase will cover an area of 2,106 sq km in some 900 villages of four districts along the Yamuna Expressway from Aligarh to Agra. Phase I was smaller in comparison,covering 580 sq km in Gautam Budh Nagar and Bulandshahr districts.

This is the first time urban development planning is being taken up on this scale. Phase II will be planned as a continuation of Phase I and both will be treated as parts of one plan.

Government sources said Groupe SCE had signed an agreement to complete the task in six months. Maintenance consultancy will be for one year with a total expenditure of around Rs 5 crore. The payment will be made in eight steps as they move ahead with the planning.

To ensure better coordination with the authority and the state government and to speed up work,the consultant has been offered temporary office space in Gautam Budh Nagar.

“This is going to be a very big exercise which will change the face of western UP. In Phase I,we wanted to try with a smaller region,extending until Jewar. Since the draft plan for that region has been prepared,we decided to simultaneously start preparations for the second phase until Agra,” a senior government officer said.