Despite announcing her most ambitious project — the Ganga Expressway — as well as making tall promises of ushering in development to the remotest part of eastern UP, the voters refused to play to Mayawati’s tune.

Of the 17 districts through which the Expressway is supposed to pass, the ruling BSP could only win two seats — Gautam Budh Nagar and Aligarh. On her 52nd birthday — January 15, 2008 — Mayawati laid the foundation for the 1,047-km Ganga Expressway joining Ballia in the far east of the state to Greater Noida in the west.

At a cost of Rs 30,000 crore, it was said that once the Expressway came into existence, it would reduce the journey from Ballia to Delhi to less than eight hours. The project was awarded to Jaiprakash Associates Limited (JAL) and it was expected that it would bring in huge investments by opening up the hinterland.

According to a company official, as per the latest JAL alignment report, the Expressway is supposed to pass through Ballia, Ghazipur, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli, Unnao, Kanpur, Hard-oi, Shahjahanpur, Farrukhabad, Etah, Badaun, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Gautam Budh Nagar (Greater Noida). 

“The survey and other related works are almost complete in the 17 districts except Ballia. Five survey agencies have been deputed to carry on the work,” said a JAL official.

The reason why the Expressway failed to capture the people’s imagination was that even after two years, there has been no work on the ground. Even land acquisition is far from complete. The company is suppose to deposit 10 per cent of the total land cost with the government — around Rs 400 crore — as compensation for the land owners. “Once the money is deposited, the magistrate of respective districts will start land acquisition process,” said a official. The JAL, he said, has so far deposited around Rs 100 crore with the UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority.

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