The Yogi government plans to construct new expressways and establish industrial centres along them to develop industrial corridors in the state. An estimated budget of over Rs 7,000 crore has been earmarked for the purpose.

On the directive of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) has identified sites to set up industrial centres. According to the plan, UPEIDA will establish industrial centres along five expressways in the state — the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Gorakhpur Link Expressway and Ganga Expressway.

At a high-level meeting held on Saturday, the UPEIDA presented the details of the identified industrial corridors along these five expressways to the Chief Minister. According to this, 11 sites have been chosen for industrial corridors along the Ganga Expressway, which connects a total of 12 districts in the state, with a total area of 1,522 hectares. The estimated expenditure on this will be around Rs 2,300 crore.

Similarly, 6 sites have been identified along the Bundelkhand Expressway which will link 7 districts. The proposed area for this is 1,884 hectares and the estimated expenditure will be over Rs 1,500 crore.

This apart, 5 sites in 10 districts will connect the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. The total area for this is 532 hectares and the estimated expenditure for its development is around Rs 650 crore. Five places have also been identified for the industrial corridor along the Purvanchal Expressway which will link 9 districts. The proposed area for this is 1,586 hectares and the estimated expenditure will be around Rs 2,300 crore.

Besides, the UPEIDA has identified two sites in four districts for setting up industrial centres along the Gorakhpur Link Expressway. The total area for this is 345 hectares and the estimated expenditure will be Rs 320 crore. In total, more than 30 sites have been identified along these five expressways with a total area exceeding 5,800 hectares.

The state government has already notified all the 108 villages associated with the 30 sites identified by the UPEIDA. Additionally, Rs 200 crore has been released to the respective six District Magistrates for land purchase. Moreover, an order has also been issued to release Rs 1,500 crore on the lines of Bundelkhand Industrial Authority for purchasing land. The process to determine the rates for purchasing land in districts is currently underway.

It is noteworthy that Uttar Pradesh is a state with the highest number of expressways in the country. Currently, Purvanchal Expressway, Bundelkhand Expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Noida-Greater Noida Expressway, Meerut-Delhi Expressway and Yamuna Expressway are operational in the state.

Construction work is progressing rapidly on Gorakhpur Link Expressway, Ballia Link Expressway, Ganga Expressway, Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, Delhi-Saharanpur-Dehradun Expressway, Ghaziabad-Kanpur Expressway and Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway.

Industrial centres are currently being established along the Yamuna Expressway under various commercial and residential schemes. These include Noida International Airport, Film City, Toy Park and Logistics Park. Similar centres are likely to come up along the other expressways in the state as well.