UP speeds up ₹14,000-cr Bundelkhand e-way corridor

The state government is set to start construction of the 296 km long Bundelkhand Expressway on December 16, when the PM will lay the foundation stone. The ₹14,000 crore mega expressway will crisscross the most backward areas of six districts of the state. The state administration has created a record in the acquisition of 3,440 hectares of land in a record 10 months without any protest by the farming community. About 20,860 farmers earned a total of ₹2,200 crore by selling drought-hit land and receiving four times the circle rate from the flagship project. As such, the Bundelkhand Expressway stands out as a successful model in terms of speedy land acquisition and low project cost, said UPEIDA's CEO Awanish Kumar Awasthi. The land acquisition began in February and 96% acquisition was completed by November 30; the remaining 4% is also being acquired on a fast track basis.