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Even as the countdown for 2017 Uttar Pradesh polls in early 2017 still to begin, road projects worth over Rs 1,00,000 crore are projected to zoom in the state during the next financial year.
These projects would comprise national highways (NH), state highways (SH), expressways, district roads, rural roads etc to be undertaken both by the central and state governments.
While, the Akhilesh Yadav government has made provision for road and highway projects worth over Rs 28,600 crore in the UP Budget 2016-17 tabled in the state assembly recently, two mega expressway projects viz. Agra-Lucknow Expressway and Lucknow-Ballia Expressway are on the ground.
The work on Agra-Lucknow Expressway estimated to cost Rs 15,000 crore is on and is expected to be completed before end calendar 2016, while ground work on the proposed Lucknow-Ballia Purvanchal Expressway projected to cost Rs 18,000 crore is expected to begin in near future.
The state government has urged the Centre to provide financial aid of Rs 5,000 crore for the Purvanchal Expressway.
The budgetary provision of over Rs 28,600 crore along with estimated expenditure of Rs 33,000 crore in the two expressway projects, put the UP purse for the roads sector at more than Rs 61,000 crore.
Besides, union road transport, highways and shipping minister Nitin Gadkari had already announced that NH highway projects worth almost Rs 45,000 crore were underway in UP, while additional road projects totalling roughly Rs 55,000 crore would be launched during 2016-17.
Meanwhile, the sparks between the central and state governments have started to flow on the issue of roads and highways as elections draw nearer.
In his recent visit to Lucknow, Gadkari had alleged the Centre had notified in March 2015 for up-grading four SH as NH in UP, however, the state had yet not issued the no objection certificate (NoC). The four roads span the impoverished eastern and central UP districts viz. Gorakhpur, Deoria, Gonda and Balrampur.
According to sources, the state government is not willing to provide the NoC in an election year. These roads are in bad shape and the takeover by the Centre would exclude them from the purview of the UP Public Works Department (PWD), which would be unable to carry out repairs to keep the local electorate in good humour.
Gadkari had further announced that the Centre would upgrade the Lucknow-Kanpur NH to eight-lane at an estimated cost of Rs 10,000 crore. The work on the project is likely to start in the fiscal and completed before 2019. Although, Lucknow-Kanpur route is very busy, the road connecting the two towns is broken at several places.
