Bad news for UP residents: Yogi Adityanath-led govt takes BIG decision on Greater Noida-Ballia Expressway, orders UPEIDA to...

The proposed eight-lane Ganga Pathway Expressway from Greater Noida to Ballia will no longer be constructed as the Uttar Pradesh government has officially cancelled the project. The decision was approved in a cabinet meeting, ending a project that had remained stalled for years due to environmental clearance issues.  The project was awarded to M/s Jaypee Ganga Infrastructure Corporation Limited, but now the Uttar Pradesh Expressway Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will refund the company.

As per the cabinet directive, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will return Rs 32,696,764 to M/s JP Ganga Infrastructure Corporation Limited, the company originally contracted to build the expressway. 

Greater Noida-Ballia Expressway cancelled

The project agreement was signed in 2008 with a four-year completion deadline, and the developer deposited around Rs 38 crore for land acquisition. However, construction was halted by a High Court stay order pending environmental clearance, and no progress has been made since. The government has now decided to formally terminate the project due to the prolonged delay. 

 The expressway was intended to connect the National Capital Region with the eastern districts of the state. However, UPEIDA argued that the Yamuna Expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, and the under-construction Ganga Expressway already meet this need, making a new project unnecessary. 

Now, UPDA has cancelled the agreement, deeming it inconsistent. This decision has dealt a blow to eastern districts, including Ballia, Ghazipur, and Mau, which were expecting rapid development from the expressway. The government claims that the existing network provides adequate connectivity. Ballia residents have had mixed reactions to this. Rakesh Gupta, a resident of Ballia, says that the current UP government has done a great job in the infrastructure sector. If better connectivity can be achieved through resource management, another expensive project would only put an additional financial burden on the government treasury. This cabinet decision is a failure in every respect, according to Navbharat Times.