Panel to examine expressway bids

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 had 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, lumpsum ex-gratia of Rs 25,000 for construction of an alternative workshed 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.