Prolonged monsoon worries UPEIDA as Ganga E-way deadline inches closer

Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) is facing the monsoon challenge in completing the earthwork in a stretch of about 150 km on the Ganga Expressway even as it aims to make at least the main carriageway functional before the Prayagraj Kumbh Mela, which is set to take place in early 2025.

As of now, about 80 per cent of the earthwork has been completed in about 300 km out of the 594 km-long expressway (between Meerut and Unnao). Efforts are being made to expedite the rest of the work to meet the December 31 deadline.

“Work on package 1 and package 2 (nearly half of the expressway between Meerut and Unnao) has been completed. All efforts are being made to complete a stretch of about 125-150 km in package 3 and package 4 of the remaining expressway. Monsoon has adversely affected the work as the construction area is filled with water. Post monsoon too there are going to be challenges in carrying out earthen work in this area, as the water level is only 10 to 12 feet deep there. We are now looking for about 1 crore cubic meter of fly ash (permissible in earthwork) from Sonebhadra or some other areas to complete this stretch,” said a senior officer aware of the developments.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath has time and again asked senior officers of the state government to complete the Ganga Expressway before the Prayagraj Kumbh, which is set to begin on January 14.

Chief secretary and CEO UPEIDA Manoj Kumar Singh said the prolonged monsoon was posing a challenge to complete the expressway construction. “We are, however, targeting to complete the works by December 31, 2024,” said Singh.

A progress report of the Ganga Expressway on the UPEIDA website indicated that 81 percent of earthwork on the main carriageway was completed while site clearance (C&G) in main carriageway was 100 percent done. It also indicated that granular sub-base (GSB) was 61 per cent complete and WMM (wet mix macadam) is 57 per cent complete. DBM (Dense Bituminous Macadam) laying was 54 per cent done. Out of 1481 structures 1295 have been completed. UPEIDA will obviously have to further expedite the work on the main carriageway. Additional, CEO UPEIDA Srihari Shahi said there was no delay, and all efforts were being made to complete the expressway by the deadline.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh minister for industrial development Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’ also said in Mumbai on Friday that the Ganga Expressway would be inaugurated in January 2025. He said Uttar Pradesh would have 50 per cent of India’s total expressways once Ganga Expressway was inaugurated.