UP Govt may apply brakes on expressway bidding

The revised R&R policy,which is a more liberal version of Haryana’s policy,will substantially push up the cost of the project,which was initially estimated Rs 4,940 crore.

The government now needs to calculate its figures again,but no one is sure how long the exercise may take.

For,while the policy changes have been announced,the modalities for implementation are yet to be worked out. “Since this is going to take some time,we have to shift the date of the final bidding,” said a senior officer.

Following protest of farmers demanding higher compensation of their land acquired for the Yamuna Expressway project,and also attacks from opposition parties,the government had come out with certain changes in the R&R policy.

These provide for payment of annuity at the rate of Rs 20,000 per acre every year for 33 years,with an annual increase of Rs 600 per acre. The affected families can opt for a one-time payment of Rs 2.4 lakh per acre in place of annuity. Landowners will also have the option to take a share equal to 25 per cent of the cost of land in the project.

The expressway will run along the right bank of the Upper Ganga Canal and the Irrigation Department owns most of the land.

About 20 per cent of the land,required mainly for the four link ways,however,has to be acquired from private landowners.

The link ways,which are part of the project,are roads which will connect Meerut,the proposed Meerut international airport,Muzaffarnagar and Deoband with the expressway and will have a total length of 74 kms.

Initially,the state government had added the development of navigational facilities along the canal with the main expressway project,but it was made optional following reservations from the bidders.

The Jaypee Group,which has already been awarded the Yamuna and the Ganga Expressway in Uttar Pradesh,the combine of Reliance Infrastructure Limited and Reliance Infra Ventures Ltd,DSC-Apollo Joint Venture,RB Infrastructure Developers Limited,Era and Sibmost Joint Venture and Isolux Corsan Concesiones are the six bidders shortlisted for the project.