NEW DELHI: The government has approved six-laning of the eastern peripheral expressway, paving the way for decongesting the roads of Delhi and curbing the menace of pollution.The project will cost Rs 7,558 crore, including Rs 1,795 crore for land acquisition, resettlement and rehabilitation, and other pre-construction activities. The total length of the expressway is about 135 km and the project will be executed under the engineering, procurement and construction mode, which means the government will bear the cost.The expressway will form a peripheral road around Delhi, so that the traffic that is not destined for the city does not pass through it, a government statement said. "This avoids congestion and pollution," it said.The alignment of the expressway is therefore away from areas of habitation.The primary objective of the expressway is to fast-track the improvement of infrastructure in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. The expressway will be seeking bids for six packages of length ranging between 21 and 24 km.The development of the expressway will help in uplifting the socio-economic condition of the concerned regions of the states and also increase employment potential for local labourers for project activities, the statement said.