During a massive public gathering in Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath shared an intriguing anecdote regarding the construction of the Purvanchal Expressway. Addressing the massive crowd, the Chief Minister revealed how his administration successfully saved thousands of crores of public money by scrutinizing and ultimately canceling the tenders issued by the previous government. He detailed the timeline of the infrastructure project, pointing out that the Samajwadi Party had estimated the construction cost at a staggering Rs 15,200 crore. In stark contrast, the current government managed to execute and complete the exact same expressway project for just Rs 11,800 crore.
Foundation Laid Without Land Acquisition
While explaining the irregularities of the past, the Chief Minister stated that before his government laid the foundation stone for the Purvanchal Expressway, the Samajwadi Party had already performed a similar ceremony. However, despite the grand announcements, no actual construction work had commenced on the ground. The previous administration had rushed to allocate the tenders, locking in the project cost at Rs 15,200 crore. When six months passed without any visible progress, Yogi Adityanath questioned the concerned officials about the delay. The administration was shocked to discover that the massive infrastructure project had been awarded without acquiring any land whatsoever.
Two Years for Land Acquisition and Retendering
Upon realizing that the project was essentially existing only on paper without the necessary land, the Chief Minister issued strict instructions to immediately cancel the old, flawed tenders. He mandated that the administration must first complete the land acquisition process before moving forward with any construction plans. It took two full years of dedicated administrative effort to finally acquire the required land. Once the ground reality was secured, the Prime Minister was invited to officially lay the foundation stone afresh. However, the tendering saga was far from over.
Suspicion Over Repeated High Costs
When fresh bids were invited for the expressway, the estimated cost mysteriously surfaced at the exact same figure of Rs 15,200 crore. Sensing foul play and suspecting irregularities in the bidding process, Yogi Adityanath immediately scrapped the tender for a second time. To ensure complete transparency, the government overhauled the entire process and invited both technical and financial bids simultaneously. The Chief Minister proudly informed the Barabanki audience that this rigorous approach completely changed the financial dynamics of the project. The very same Purvanchal Expressway that was pegged at Rs 15,200 crore was eventually built and completed by his government for just Rs 11,800 crore.
