Lucknow. People traveling from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal are going to get great convenience in the coming times. Preparations are underway to build a new expressway from Gorakhpur to Siliguri. The largest part of this project, about 568 kilometers long, will pass through Bihar. This is expected to improve the connectivity of many districts of Bihar and also boost trade and traffic.
Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway will start from Jagdishpur in Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. After this it will enter Bihar via Kushinagar and then reach Siliguri in West Bengal. Of the total length of the project, about 417 kilometers is proposed in Bihar. Gorakhpur and Kushinagar districts of Uttar Pradesh will also be connected to this project.
These 8 districts of Bihar will get benefit
The route of this expressway will pass through eight districts of Bihar. These include West Champaran, East Champaran, Sitamarhi, Shivhar, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj. People of these districts are expected to get better road connectivity to reach other states. Besides, local business, transport and economic activities may also gain momentum.
Land will be acquired from 164 villages of UP
The new alignment of the project includes Gorakhpur and Kushinagar districts of Uttar Pradesh. According to the information, land of 23 villages of Gorakhpur and 141 villages of Kushinagar will come under the purview of acquisition. Deoria was included in the earlier proposed route, but it has been excluded in the revised plan.
Estimated cost will be Rs 73 thousand crores
It is estimated that about Rs 73 thousand crore will be spent on the Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway project. There is a plan to spend about Rs 45 thousand crore on construction work, while the remaining amount will be spent on land acquisition and other works. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has prepared a revised DPR of the project, which is to go through the further approval process.