Central government lays foundation for Bundelkhand expressway project

The central government has laid the foundation stone for the 296 km Bundelkhand Expressway in Chitrakoot, estimated to cost nearly Rs 150 billion. The expressway will link Chitrakoot, Banda, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Auraiya and Etawah districts of Uttar Pradesh. Last year, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) had awarded the six packages of the expressway to the selected bidders – ApcoInfratech Limited, AshokaBuildcon Limited, Gawar Construction Limited and DilipBuildcon Limited. So far, UPEIDA has acquired 97 per cent of the required 3,641 hectares for the expressway and released Rs 21 billion towards land acquisition. The state government is raising Rs 70 billion through a consortium of banks led by the Bank of Baroda for the project.