Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday inaugurated two newly-built expressways : First one is Phase 1 of Delhi-Meerut Expressway and second one is Eastern Peripheral Expressway. After inauguration of the projects, PM Modi, rode in an open car, waving at crowds gathered on either sides of the highway. Road Transport and Shipping Minister Nitin Gadkari too rode in a separate open car alongside Modi. While, improving infrastructure of the country brings cheer to every Indian including Telugu people, People of Andhra Pradesh have once again realized how BJP led central government is giving step motherly treatment to AP.
Let’s see what these 2 projects are :
Delhi-Meerut Expressway: 14-lane Delhi-Meerut Expressway is stretching from Nizammudin Bridge to Delhi-UP border. The first phase has been completed in a record time of 18 months. Total 4 Phases and spans for 82 KMs & total cost 7,500 Cr . Now only Phase 1 Completed, which spans 8.7 KMs and costed 840 Crores. i.e. each Km costs around 100 Crores. Though total length of the project is 82 km, first 27.74 kms will be 14-laned, while the rest will be 6-lane expressway. It involves construction of 11 flyovers/interchanges, 5 major and 24 minor bridges, 3 ROBs (rail over bridges), 36 vehicular and 14 pedestrian underpasses.
Eastern Peripheral Expressway or EPE: The 135-km-long Eastern Peripheral Expressway or EPE was dedicated by Prime minister Modi in Baghpat in UP. It has been built in a record time of 17 months. This Eastern Peripheral Expressway is India’s first highway to be lit by solar power and has provisions of rain water harvesting on every 500 metres on both sides. Built at a cost of Rs. 11,000 crore.
Step motherly treatment to AP:
While center is spending thousands of crores on these infrastructure parts in North India and the states where BJP has stakes, What it is granting to states like AP is meagre. Official website of government of India says, (http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=149631) an amount of Rs.2,500 crore has been paid as support for creation of new capital of State of Andhra Pradesh and a balance of Rs.1,000 crore would be paid in due course. As per the reports, center has paid only 4000 crores out of the promised 14,000 crores promised for covering revenue deficit. BJP leaders like Hari Babu earlier claimed that the Centre has approved project proposals worth over Rs 1 lakh crore for the State for the projects related to the national highway or housing but the funds will be released as and when there is a progress in the works and more funds will be released as and when required. Needless to say, these are empty statements.
Moreover, a new railway line of 106.56 km between Vijayawada- Amravati-Guntur has been announced by Union Railways Minister earlier and the survey and DPR is estimated to cost Rs.3272 crores. Guess how much is granted out of this? Only a token provision of Rs.10 crores in 2017-18 and Rs.10 crores in 2018-19 is made till date. As everyone knows, Vijayawada metro rail, Vishakhapatnam metro rail proposals also have been returned by Government of India and Railway Zone for Andhra Pradesh is still pending with the Government of India.
While it is very disappointing for Telugu people to see BJP not granting any money to AP, they are even more appalled to see same Modi government granting thousands of crores to projects in North India and completing them in record time. Probably what DMK leader Stalin lambasted Modi yesterday is correct – Modi is not considering us as his people.
-ZURAN
P.S. Small question for the politicians and people questioning the estimates of Amaravati – If 135 km express high-way costed 11,000 crores, how much it may cost to build a capital city. #justasking.
