The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority, popularly known as UPEIDA, is gathering feathers in its cap. Its star project, the Bundelkhand Expressway was completed and inaugurated recently. And that too eight months ahead of schedule.

UPEIDA was notified as an Authority under the UP Industrial Development Authority Act, 1976 in December 2007. The main purpose of this authority is to develop Expressways in the State of Uttar Pradesh.

The flagship project of UPEIDA, the Agra - Lucknow Expressway was completed in an unprecedented period of time. It was inaugurated on 21 November 2016. The Expressway connects the State Capital with Agra and to New Delhi from there via the Yamuna Expressway.

The Bundelkhand Expressway links the Chitrakoot area of UP, bordering Madhya Pradesh, with the National Capital through the Agra – Lucknow Expressway. This Expressway is expected to trigger faster development of the Bundelkhand region.

Besides the Bundelkhand Expressway, UPEIDA has completed two other Access Controlled Expressway Projects  – the Purvanchal Expressway Project and the Gorakhpur Link Expressway. These are conceived as critical high speed access controlled expressways linking the Eastern and Southern regions of Uttar Pradesh with Lucknow, the State Capital and New Delhi.

The Ganga Expressway from Meerut to Prayagraj will provide a high speed corridor between the Eastern, Northern and Western parts of Uttar Pradesh, connecting these regions with New Delhi.

The Agra-Lucknow Expressway is a Greenfield Access Controlled Expressway project. It is a 302 Kilometre long project with six lanes. However, the Expressway is expandable to eight lanes with necessary structures for the expansion already in place.

The expressway starts at the inner ring road in Agra and ends at State Highway 40 in Lucknow, passing through Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kannauj, Kanpur Nagar, Hardoi, and Unnao districts along the way. One can now travel from Lucknow to Agra in 3 hours and in another 2 .5 hours one can reach New Delhi via the Yamuna Expressway.

Wayside amenities have been provided on both carriageways. In the direction from Lucknow to Agra, these amenities are located at a distance of 75 km and 198 km from Lucknow. On the return journey, the wayside amenities are available at 101 km and 28 km from Agra. Essential facilities such as large parking areas, public toilets, food court, dhaba, motel and dormitories for rest, and fuel stations are available at each of these Wayside Amenities.

A lot has been done for the safety and security of traffic. This includes-

·           An Advance Traffic Management System

·           50 CCTV cameras and 10 Speed and Number Plate Detection Radar cameras have been strategically placed along the length of the Expressway. These use the Automatic Number Plate Recognition System (APNR) to check speeding. E-challans are issued depending on the average speed of vehicles between the toll plazas at Agra and Lucknow.

·           Stray animals are caught and removed to prevent accidents

For patrolling and assistance to accident victims, UPEIDA has provided –

·           152 Emergency call boxes at every 4 km on either carriageway

·           9 ambulances of which 4 belong to UPEIDA and 5 belong to the toll collection agency

·           25 Patrolling Vehicles and 205 personnel patrol the length of the Expressway on a 24 x 7 x 365 basis. 15 of these vehicles and 125 personnel are part of the UPEIDA team.

·           The UP Police Department also deploys 27 Dial 112 Vans on this Expressway

·           A modern control room with sate of the art facilities including a Video Monitoring and Incident Detection System and a GPS based ambulance service helps in achieving a response time of 4 to 11 minutes for emergency services.

The safety, security, and patrolling arrangements have reduced the incidence of accidents on the Expressway. The maintenance of the carriageways and reduction in travel time help to save on fuel and reduce the carbon footprint of the commuters.

Other outstanding features of the expressway include

·           Ability of fighter aircraft to land and take off from the Expressway

·           All illumination by solar energy

·           Rainwater harvesting facilities and green belt on either side of the Expressway

The construction cost of the project was Rs. 11,527 crores (excluding the cost for acquiring the land). The project was completed in about 24 months instead of the expected period of 36 months and was inaugurated on 21 November 2016

On 16 November 2021, the Prime Minister inaugurated another UPEIDA Project, the Purvanchal Expressway.

This expressway connects the eastern part of Uttar Pradesh to Lucknow. The Agra – Lucknow Expressway connects Lucknow to the western part of the state. Together these two expressways allows one to traverse the width of the state on a high speed corridor. The completion of this expressway also enables development in the remote parts of East Uttar Pradesh. The socio-economic development along this project will be driven through agriculture, tourism, commerce and industrial development. Education would get a boost through construction of various educational institutes and centres along the expressway. Nine districts stand to gain through this socio-economic development and increase employment opportunities. These are Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau, Ghazipur.

The starting point is Village Chand Sarai, located at Lucknow-Sultanpur Road (NH-731), district Lucknow. The expressway ends after 340.824 km near village Haidaria on National Highway No.-19, which is 18 KM before the UP-Bihar border, in district Ghazipurm, making it one of the longest expressways in the country. The 6 lane Expressway (expandable to 8 lanes) was completed with a project cost (including land) of Rs. 22,494.66 crore within the expected time line for the project. This is an achievement in itself since there were delays and setbacks on account of the Lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

UPEIDA divided the construction work into 8 packages, which were awarded to five different contractors on the EPC model. The expressway includes 22 Flyovers, 7 Railway-over-bridges (ROB), 7 major bridges, 114 minor bridges, 6 Toll Plazas, 45 vehicular-underpasses (VUP), 139 Light VUP, 87 pedestrian underpass and 525 Box culverts. 

The Bundelkhand Expressway was inaugurated by the Prime Minister of India on 16 July 2022. The 296 km, 4 lane Expressway has been constructed along the lines of the Agra – Lucknow expressway with similar security, patrolling and other features. The Expressway starts at Bhadrakoop inChitrakoot District, bordering the state of Madhya Pradesh and ends at the Agra – Lucknow Expressway near Kudrail Village. Along the way, the Expressway traverses 8 rivers - Bagen, Ken, Shyama, Chandawal, Birma, Yamuna, Betwa, and Sengar.

The Expressway has a right-of-way of 110 metres. Other than the security, patrolling and other features, on the 296 km stretch of this Expressways there are numerous bridges and like structures - 4 railway over bridges (ROBs), 14 large bridges, 6 toll plazas, 7 ramp plazas, 266 small bridges, and 18 flyovers to be precise. This Greenfield project was constructed under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction Model (EPC), in six packages, with an estimated construction cost of Rs. 14,850 crores.

Some of the most backward districts of the State are connected to the State Capital and the National Capital through this Expressway, raising hopes of progress and omni-directional development amongst all stakeholders.

§   The project area can be economically and socially improved, with increase in agriculture, trade, tourist, and industrial income.

§   An industrial corridor is planned to connect manufacturing units, development centres, and agricultural productive areas around expressway with the national capital, and other larger and more developed market centres. Travel time between New Delhi and Chitrakoot would now be 6 hours instead of 10

§   Industrial Training Institutes, Teaching and Training Institutes, and Medical Institutes, among others can be constructed along the Expressway.

§   The local Handloom industry, food processing facilities, storages, markets, and milk-based enterprises will benefit from this Expressway.

 

At the inauguration of the Expressway, CM Yogi Adityanath said, "This (Bundelkhand Expressway) will add a new dimension to the economy of Bundelkhand and that of Uttar Pradesh. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which the world faced for around 18 months, the 296-kilometre-long Bundelkhand Expressway was built within 28 months." The chief minister described the day as "historic" for the region and termed the expressway as the "axis of development of Bundelkhand".

 

The Gorakhpur Link Expressway is a 91 km long green-field project that will link Salarpur Village on the Purvanchal Expressway in Azamgarh District of UP with Jaitpur village in Gorakhpur. The 4 lane (expandable to 6 lanes) access controlled expressway was launched by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in 2018 and the land acquisition commenced in February 2019. A total of 1,095 hectares would be acquired at an estimated cost of Rs 2,852 crores. As of 4 July 2022, 99.10% of the land has been acquired according to the UPEIDA website. The cost of construction of the Expressway is estimated to be Rs 3,024 crores including the cost for 2 Toll Plaza, 3 ramp plaza, 7 Flyovers, 7 major bridges, 27 minor bridges, 16 vehicular-underpasses (VUP), 50 Light VUP and 35 pedestrian underpasses. The project is under construction and work is being done by the contractors in 2 packages on the EPC model.

Gorakhpur is rapidly growing into a centre for economic development with many reputed business houses expressing an interest to set up manufacturing units there. Service providers, SMEs, Educational institutions and start-ups are flocking to Gorakhpur. The Gorakhpur Link Expressway is, therefore, important to augment the connectivity of the region to the rest of the state and the country.

The Ganga Expressway is an under construction green-field 6 lane (expandable to 8 lanes) access controlled project that is 594 km long. The project was approved by the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet on 29 January 2019 and the foundation stone was laid by the Prime Minister on 18 December 2021.

The Ganga Expressway Project will be undertaken in two phases. Phase I of the project will connect Bijauli village on NH-334 in Meerut district with Judapur Dandu village on NH-19 in Prayagraj District. The expressway traverses12 Districts in the state viz. Meerut, Hapur, Hardoi, Amroha, Sambhal, Bulandshahr, Shahjahanpur, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Badaun, Pratapgarh and Prayagraj. On completion, it will become the longest expressway of Uttar Pradesh.

In February 2021, Uttar Pradesh’s state government decided to expand the project on either end- from Prayagraj to Varanasi and Meerut to Haridwar. This forms the Phase II of the project. The DPR of phase 2 of Ganga Express Highway / Expressway is currently in the pipeline. According toreports, Phase 1 of Ganga expressway will be extended from Prayagraj up to Balia(a distance of 314 Km) and in the western UP, the expressway the will be extended from Tigri to the Uttarakhand border a distance of around 110 Km.

 

Phase I of the Project is divided into 12 packages for faster execution. The packages have been taken up by two well established construction companies. The project follows the Design, Build, Finance, Operate and Transfer (DBFOT) construction model. The expressway is proposed to be completed by 2024.

The expressway will be of 6 lanes and expandable up to 8 lanes.All the concrete structures will be constructed for an 8 lane width. The width of the dividing median is 15 m, which will enable 2 additional lanes to be constructed in this portion.

 

The Right of Way (ROW) throughout the length of project will be 120 m. The expressway has been designed for speeds up to 120 Km/h.A 3.5 Km long air strip is also beingconstructed for emergency take-off and landing of Indian Air Force planes on the expressway near Shahjahanpur.

 

Phase I of the project will include the construction of 7 Railway Over Bridges, 14 Major Bridge, 126 Minor Bridges, 381 Underpasses, 929 Culverts, 28 Fly Overs, 8 Diamond Interchanges, 2 Main Toll Plaza and 15 Ramp type Toll Plaza. For safety, there is a provision to construct concrete boundary walls on both side of expressway. This will prevent unwanted stray animals, cattle and other wild-life.

The overall project cost is estimated to be Rs 36,230 crores of which Rs 9,500 is set aside for land. Acquisition of land for the project is almost complete.

 

1,850,000 trees will be planted on both sides of the expressway to take care of any environment related concerns. The project will boost socio-economic development in the region and provide a fillip to multiple sectors including agriculture, industrial development, tourism, and trade

 

The website of UPEIDA lists the following Public Private Partnership projects at various stage. These had been allotted to the Authority a few years ago and would be taken up for completion in the future. The projects listed are:

1.         8 Lane access controlled Expressway from Greater Noida to Ballia

2.         8 Lane access controlled expressway on the right bank of Upper Ganga Canal from Sanauta Bridge (Distt. Bulandshahar) to near Purkazi (Distt. Muzaffarnager) before Uttar Pradesh – Uttarakhand Border

3.         Bijnore – Moradabad – Fategarh Expressway

4.         Jhansi – Kanpur – Lucknow – Goorakhpur- Kushinagar Express way

5.         Lucknow – Barabanki – Nanpara Link Expressway

6.         Agra – Kanpur Expressway

7.         Narora to 10 km before the Uttarakhand State Boundary

In addition, the UPEIDA is also instrumental in developing the UP Defence Industrial Corridor which is an important project for Central Government.

With the development of the state, its energy demand has been increasing steadily also. With limited conventional energy sources and their limited exploitation and increasing environmental pollution, energy based on new and renewable energy sources is being given high priority. Along-with biomass and small hydro-electricity, major projects based on MW solar energy are being established. Work in the State is being carried out towards grid connected Solar Power Generation and rooftop power generation. Progress is being steadily made towards the goal envisaged at the time of formation of the agency.

In April 1983 Uttar Pradesh Government created the Non- Conventional Energy Development Agency (NEDA) under the Department of Additional Energy Sources as an autonomous institution. The institute has been renamed as "Uttar Pradesh New and Renewable Energy Development Agency (UPNEDA)". Since inception, the agency is also functioning as a nodal agency for implementing various schemes in the state.

The capacity in renewable energy sources such as solar energy, small-scale hydro-electricity and biomass-based electricity production is being developed in the state. Solar power plants of varying capacity are being installed for electricity generation. Biomass-based co-generation in the state sugar mills and rice husk based-electricity generation projects are being encouraged. In addition to this, small-scale hydro-electric projects are being implemented in collaboration with private entrepreneurs.

Remote rural village electrification or mini-grid solar power plant plans are being conducted in villages without electricity or in villages with problematic electricity supply. Under the CM Samgra Gram Vikas Yojana and Pt. DeenDayalUpadhayay Solar Street Light Yojna, solar street light plants are being set up in selected villages. Under the Saubhagya Yojana in different un-electrified households solar power packs are being arranged. In the field of agriculture, small and marginal farmers in the terai and purvanchal region are benefitting from the installation of grant based solar pumps.

Non-Conventional Energy Development Agency, U.P. (NEDA) was set up in 1983 as a registered society under the Department of Additional Sources of Energy, Govt. of U.P. The Director of the Agency is responsible for formulation and Implementation of the programmes of development of Non-Conventional Sources of Energy in the State and work under the administrative control of the Secretary to the Govt., Department of Additional Source of Energy.The Agency has inter-Alia following functions:

The agency is working in the field of Solar Energy, Wind Energy, Bio Energy, Micro Hydel and Energy Conservation besides energy planning and other aspects of energy management.

To meet basic requirements like housing for BPL familiesthe Uttar Pradesh Government has launched theLohia Housing Scheme. Under this scheme, houses are provided a solar power pack that consists of 120 watt solar module and 120 ampere hour tubular plate capacity battery. Each house is provided with 2 bulbs of 3 watts, one bulb of 5 watts, a DC ceiling fan of 25-watt and a mobile charging point. The solar power pack operates the equipment for up to 8 hours per day and has a separate back-up of 2 days.

UPNEDA is operating a solar RO water plant project to provide safe drinking water in state primary schools.Under this project, 1.1 kW Solar Power Plants are being set up at primary schools and 5 fans, 1 D.C. submersible pump and 1 R.O. Water plant of 50 liters per hour capacity are operated.

In the first phase of the project during 2014-15 the scheme was implemented in Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Ghaziabad, Kannauj and Etawah as a pilot project. In 2015-16 plants were installed in 10 districts of the state namely Hamirpur, Mahoba, Chitrakoot, Banda, Jhansi, Lalitpur, Jalaun, Mirjapur, Sonbhadra and Auraiya.

Uttar Pradesh Government has promulgated its Mini-Grid Policy in 2016. This ensures power supply in rural areas by establishing Mini-Grid power plants based on New and Renewable energy sources through private developers.

Under this policy, subsidy is provided for the projects installed in villages identified by the Government. However Mini Grid projects can be set up in any self-identified village without subsidy. The Power generated from Mini Grids Plants is supplied for domestic, commercial and industrial use in the villages. Mini grid projects of aggregate 1.65 MW capacity in 75 villages of various districts have been installed under the policy, supplying power to 3758 households and 695 commercial establishments.

Biomass has always been an important energy source for the country considering the benefits it offers. It is renewable, widely available, carbon-neutral and has the potential to provide significant employment in the rural areas. Biomass is also capable of providing firm energy. About 32% of the total primary energy use in the country is still derived from biomass and more than 70% of the country’s population depends upon it for its energy needs.

Plenty of bagasse is available in the sugar mills of the state with a lot of potential for co-generation. UPNEDA started its efforts in 1994 as a catalyst/facilitator to set up power generation projects based on co-generation through bagasse available in the various sugar mills of Uttar Pradesh.

There are plenty of opportunities to set up various capacity power plants based on variety of techniques (gasification, co-generation and combustion) by using biomass other than bagasse. According to a TERI report, the state has an assessed potential of 3757 megawatt power generation through biomass. To set up such kind of projects, UPNEDA has undertaken region wise specific surveys to assess the actual potential of the projects.

The requirement of thermal and electrical energy of namkeen/bakery, factories, rice mills and cold storage etc. can be met by setting up Gasifier Plants (from 40 kilowatt to 1 megawatt) based on gasification technique using mainly rice husk and udi biomass. To get some relief from increasing rates and unavailability of diesel/furnace oil and electricity, entrepreneurs are setting up gasifier plants with or without grant from the central government. About 40-44 megawatt capacity had been created till the end of 2013-14, by establishing gasifier plants by more than 171 industrial units of the state.UPNEDA has established 3 plants of various capacities in the state under this scheme. 

Co-generation power projects of megawatt capacity based on combustion techniques using Rice Husk or other Agro-residues have been established in various industries. These projects are set up in those industries like pulp and paper mills where thermal energy (process steam) and electrical energy are required and they can fulfil thermal and electrical energy needs of such industries. Establishing non-bagasse based co-generation power projects is being promoted in the different paper mills in the state.

The total installed generating capacity of the state is 6160 MW out of which the share of hydro is 522.50 MW. Small hydro power project can playan important role to overcome the power crisis by generating additional power. UPNEDA has been appointed as the nodal agency by MNRE, GoI for executing projects upto 25 MW. Implementation of identified SHP projects is being carried out by UPNEDA and Uttar Pradesh Jal Vidyut Nigam through private developers as per small hydro power policy 2009 of state government. Power generated from small hydro power projects can be used through grid network of UP Power Corporation Ltd. Or supply the power directly to the consumers (stand-alone) in remote village where no grid network is available.

UPNEDA has vast experience in identification, survey and investigation, design, implementation, operation and maintenance, as well as management of micro/mini/small hydro power projects. UPNEDA has completed 30 small hydro projects of total capacity 2095 KW, which are supplying electricity to 164 villages in far flung remote areas of Uttaranchal.

After creation of Uttaranchal as new state, the hydro power potential is now available with irrigation canals, rivers, dam toes etc. The state of Uttar Pradesh is endowed with many perennial rivers. Over the past hundred years, an extensive network of irrigation canals has been developed in the state, water is diverted from Ganga, Yamuna, Sharda, Sarju, Gandak, Ghaghra, Betwa rivers which flows from northern India discharging into Bay of Bengal. There is considerable potential for power generation at numerous canal falls and irrigation dams. The flow in the canals is mainly governed by the pattern of irrigation releases.

To harness this potential of canal falls/dam toes, UPNEDA is undertaking identification, surveying and preparation of feasibility and detailed project reports. UPNEDA has prepared ten prefeasibility and detailed project reports upto 3MW capacity in the first phase.

Wind energy stands at the top different sources of electricity generation through renewable energy. In our country at present total installed generation capacity is 35700 MW of which wind energy contributes about 68 percent.

National Institute of Wind Energy,GoI has expressed the possibility of power generation through wind energy at 50 meters and 80 meters with generation capacity of 138 MW and 1260 MW respectively. Wind force keeps on increasing simultaneously with the increase in height from the ground. Thus power generation also increases with increase in height.

For installation of Electricity generation projects through wind energy first of all assessment of wind force and Wind Power Density (WPD) is done for duration of 1-2 years. This process is known as Wind Resource Assessment. Figures of wind force and WPD recorded in one year at certain height (50m, 80m, 100m,120m) are taken for installation of wind mast at any place. If at any place wind force of 4 m/s and WPD of 200 W/m^2 are recorded then wind energy program is said to be feasible and also it is appropriate for commercial power generation.

Wind Resource Assessment (WRA) by National Wind Energy Institute has begun to identify the wind energy programs in various districts of Uttar Pradesh. The districts where wind resource assessment has been done at 50 m height are-Lalitpur, Mirzapur, Raebareli, Farrukhabad, Agra, Etawah, Badaun, Jhansi and Sonebhadra. Districts where wind resource assessment has been done at 80 m height are:-Gonda, Balrampur, Siddharthnagar, Shahjahanpur and Lakhimpur. Details of survey conducted in concerned districts for wind force, site condition etc. is as follows:-

Government of India under take the electrification of all villages of the country by year 2009 and every house of the country by year 2012 under Rajiv Gandhi GraminVidhutikranYojna (RGGVY). Under this scheme Ministry of New & Renewal Energy (MNRE) is implementing the scheme of Remote Village Electrification Programme through Non-Conventional sources for those remote areas where grid connectivity is either not feasible or not cost effective.

NEDA has electrified 50 such remote villages earlier and 79 remote villages in the year 2006-07 and 2007-08 of different district of State through different models of solar photovoltaic home lights and solar street lights.

Government of India has undertaken to electrify all villages of the country by year 2009 and every house of the country by year 2012 under Rajiv Gandhi GraminVidhutikranYojna (RGGVY). Under this scheme Ministry of New & Renewal Energy (MNRE) is implementing the scheme of Remote VillageElectrification Programme through Non-Conventional sources for those remote areas where grid connectivity is either not feasible or not cost effected.

According to Awanish Awasthi, the CEO of UPEIDA and the Chairman of the Department of Additional Sources of Energy, who is steering the authorities to multiple successes, it is the political will that has made all the difference. He told the media some time back “The Chief Minister is very clear that expressways will bring a complete change in the infrastructure status of the state. They will open up the backward areas for industry, and improve connectivity. He has stressed on the importance of expressways repeatedly,”