Concept report of Agra-Lucknow expressway approved

LUCKNOW: The concept report of Agra-Lucknow green-field eco-friendly expressway was today approved by Uttar Pradesh PPP Monitoring Committee (PPPMC).

The meeting chaired by Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner Anil K Gupta approved the concept report submitted by consultant M/s Redicon India Private Limited, official sources said here.

The consultant made a presentation of the final concept report to PPPMC after incorporating its recommendations and suggestions, they said.

Gupta said alternative bidding processes for selection of developers for implementing either the entire expressway as a single project or in packages of three have been included in the report.

The process for the selection of project development consultant for preparing a detailed project report was also discussed in the meeting.

CEO, UP Expressways Industrial Development Authority, Mukul Singhal said that request for qualification and request for proposal for selection of project development consultant would be invited within a week.

The approved concept report also includes provision of flyover and interchange at NH-2 near Shikohabad. The move aims to provide an alternative to commuters to either use NH-2 or Expressway.

NH-2 links Agra to Kanpur through Etawah, whereas, the proposed Expressway is a direct link from Agra to Lucknow.

This provision has also been made on other national highways and state highways coming within the proposed Expressway alignment, sources said.

The report also proposed the construction of four growth centres incorporating the provision of agriculture mandis, warehouses, food processing plants, cold storage, industrial centres, hospitals, schools Industrial Training Institutes along the expressway.

Growth centres have been proposed at Firozabad, Karhal, Kannauj and Malihabad.