Ganga Expressway is an under-construction, 594 km (369 mi) long, 6-
lane (expandable to 8) wide greenfield expressway in the state of
Uttar Pradesh, India. It is being constructed in two phases. Phase-1 will connect Bijauli village on
NH-334 in
Meerut district with Judapur Dandu village on
NH-19 in
Prayagraj district, while Phase-2 will see the extension of both sides of the expressway: from Prayagraj to
Ballia and from
Meerut to
Haridwar. It is being implemented by the
Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) on the Design-Build-Finance-Operate-Transfer (DBFOT) Model.
The construction work from Meerut to Prayagraj has been divided into 12 packages. Packages 1 to 3 will be constructed and maintained by
IRB Infrastructure, while Packages 4 to 12 by
Adani Enterprises.[4][5] The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, led by
Yogi Adityanath met at
Prayagraj, the venue of the
Kumbh Mela, and cleared the decks to construct Ganga Expressway on 29 January 2019.[6][7]
The project aims to construct a 1,047
km access-controlled 8-lane wide expressway running along the
Ganga river. This expressway will connect
Greater Noida to
Ballia, ensuring high-speed connectivity between the Eastern and Western boundaries of Uttar Pradesh.[8] The proposed expressway from Ballia to
Greater Noida is also planned to serve as a flood control embankment since floods are a major cause of agricultural and environmental damage in the area, and lead to many deaths as well as the spread of diseases during India's
monsoon season. The construction work on Ganga Expressway was not started then because of an order from the
Allahabad High Court. The order instructed that the state and the concessionaire complete a full environmental study and obtain permission from the
Government before embarking on the construction.
Construction
Phase-1
The
UPEIDA has divided the construction work of 594 km long Phase-1 (Meerut to Prayagraj) into 12 different packages. The total expected project value is around
₹37,350
crores, including the land acquisition cost of around
₹9,500 crores.[9][10]
On 30 November 2021,
Adani Enterprises and
IRB Infrastructure Developers emerged as the preferred bidders for the expressway’s development. Both were awarded the agreement to build and Operate the Expressway on DBFOT basis with tolling rights for a period of 30 years. IRB Infrastructure bagged Group 1 (consisting of Packages 1, 2 & 3); while Adani bagged Groups 2, 3 & 4 (consisting of Packages 4 to 12) [11]
Note: The
Adani Enterprises has further sub-contracted the civil construction work of Package-4, 5 and 6 to HG Infra Engineering Limited. It has sub-contracted Package-7, 8 and 9 to Patel Infra Projects Limited and similarly it has sub-contracted Package-10, 11 and 12 to ITD Cementation India Limited.
Phase-2
The
Government of Uttar Pradesh decided to extend the project on either ends i.e.
Meerut to
Haridwar (Spur-1) and
Prayagraj to
Ballia (Spur-2) via
Varanasi. As of February 2021, a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Phase-2 has not yet been prepared yet.[14] UP CM Yogi Adityanath has announced to extend the expressway to Haridwar via Nagina on 20 December 2023.
Industrial corridor
Pharma parks, textile parks will be developed around Ganga Expressway. There is also a preparation to build large industrial corridors at the beginning and end of the expressway. Due to its proximity to the expressway, many investors are expected to set up their industries here.[15]
The land around the departure points of
Meerut, from where the expressway is to start, will be developed for industries.
Ashok Agarwal, national president, Indian Industries Association (IIA), said “We have also received queries related to the allotment of land along the
Ganga Expressway from investors. Most of the queries are for land in
Meerut,
Budaun and its adjoining areas”.[16]
Jan 2019: Stalled planned project since 2007, the Ganga Expressway project has been revived again. The project was launched on 29 January 2019 by the
Chief Minister of
Uttar Pradesh,
Yogi Adityanath.
Feb 2019: Expressway to be built parallel to the
Ganga river course, however, a distance of 10 km will be maintained so as to ensure easier compliance with environmental laws.[18]
Sep 2019: Two alignment plans are ready, CM
Yogi Adityanath to approve one of them, and then a consultant will be appointed to prepare and submit the
Detailed Project Report (DPR). The expressway is to be ready by 2024.[19]
Feb 2020: ₹2,000
crores was allocated for the construction of Ganga Expressway in the Uttar Pradesh budget on 18 February 2020. The 594 km long 1st phase connecting Meerut to Prayagraj is set to be completed by 2024.[citation needed]
Mar 2021: Tenders floated for Phase-1 by the government of Uttar Pradesh in 12 packages.[citation needed]
May 2021: 3,440
hectares of required land have been acquired till 30 May. The 594
km long 1st phase of the Ganga Expressway will pass through 519 villages across 12 districts.[20][21]
Jun 2021: 5,260
hectares of required land has been acquired till 30 June.[22][23][24]
Aug 2021: 6,532
hectares (around 90%) of required land has been acquired till 16 August.
Punjab National Bank (PNB) approved ₹5,100 crore loan for this project on 21 August.[25]
Sep 2021: Around 93% of land acquisition completed. The Uttar Pradesh cabinet gave approval to this project on 2 September.[26]
Nov 2021: The expressway gets environmental clearance from
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and Uttar Pradesh Cabinet gives ₹36,230 crore clearance to build the expressway.
Foundation stone for the start of construction work will be laid in December, and 94% of land acquisition will be completed, as of 20 November.[27][28][29]
Nov 2021: 3 firms bid to build the expressway. The bidder name will likely be finalised by this week or next week, as of 22 November.[30]
Apr 2022: Construction work started by Adani Enterprises in
Binawar (
Budaun) on 11 April.[33]
Jul 2022:56% of clearing and grubbing work is complete.[34]
Jan 2023: 84% of clearing and grubbing, and 10.25% of earthwork are complete.[35]
Mar 2023: The expressway is now expected to be completed by December 2024.[36]
Apr 2023: More than 20% of the construction has been completed.[37]
Oct 2023: Uttar Pradesh government announces that it will acquire land to set up an industrial city in
Meerut, adjacent to entry and exit points of the expressway.[16]
Nov 2023: 100% cleaning and grubbing work completed.[38]