The Centre on Thursday approved the six-laning of the Eastern Peripheral Expressway. The project, with an estimated cost of Rs 7,558 crore, will check the growing traffic and pollution in the national capital.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi cleared the project (National Highway No NE-II) in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
This is the first expressway project cleared by the Modi government, which has been trying to clear pending projects.
The total length of the road will be around 135 kilometres and the work will be done on the Engineering, Procurement and Construction basis.
The six-lane road connects Palwal, Ghaziabad and Kundli.
The estimated cost for the project includes Rs 1,795.20 crore for land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation and other pre-construction activities.
Once the project is completed, Haryana-bound traffic from Uttar Pradesh and vice versa would not have to enter Delhi and take the peripheral road instead.
This will help divert at least 70,000 vehicles per day, mainly trucks, resulting in less traffic congestion and pollution in the national capital.
The long-pending project was cleared after Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari resolved the issue of land acquisition after meeting with transport and Public Works Department ministers of Delhi, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The approval also ended the tussle between the Centre and Delhi government over the outstanding payment for expanded land acquisition.