The Uttar Pradesh government will develop industrial and food processing corridors flanking big expressway projects.
UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) will acquire 100 acres of land in the vicinity of each expressway project for the purpose.
The state government will incur about Rs 4,000 crore on acquiring land for the proposed corridors. UPEIDA will now prepare a blueprint and conducting pre-feasibility study and preparation of a detailed project report (DPR).
Four expressways are already operational in UP, while several other expressway projects, including the 595-km Ganga Expressway costing Rs 36,000 crore, are under construction.
The functional expressway projects include Yamuna Expressway, Agra-Lucknow Expressway, Purvanchal Expressway and Bundelkhand Expressway.
The state is looking to complete Ganga Expressway project by December 2024 before the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj in the early months of calendar 2025.
Since, Yamuna Expressway serves the comparatively developed and well-connected Western UP, the state is focusing on the remaining four expressways to spur industrial growth.
Swift movement of farm products and processed food will jack up rural incomes and catalyse the hinterland economy.
Besides, the state is aiming to emerge a major electric vehicle (EV) and battery hub in South Asia and develop a robust charging network on highways and expressways.
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Recently, FICCI president Subhrakant Panda noted the growing network of expressways and airports in UP have given a much needed leeway to the landlocked state.