india

Updated: Jun 23, 2019 14:40 IST

The defence corridor project looks set to be put on the fast track with union defence minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh giving priority to the project.

“I will discuss the defence corridor project and speedy acquisition of land to roll out the project with chief minister Yogi Adityanath,” Singh told a gathering of people at his residence on Saturday.

“The chief minister has always extended support when it comes to projects in my constituency, Lucknow,” added Singh.

The PM had announced the defence corridor project for Uttar Pradesh at the investors’ summit in the state capital on February 21 last year.The Centre has identified six districts for the project, including Agra, Aligarh, Chitrakoot, Lucknow, Kanpur and Jhansi. To start with, the Yogi government has decided to roll out the project in Jhansi, Chitrakoot and Aligarh.

The government is likely to acquire 3000 hectares for the project in Jhansi, 300 hectares in Chitrakoot and 100 hectares in Aligarh. Initially, the state government will acquire 500 hectare land in Jhansi out of proposed 3,000 hectares. The Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) is the nodal agency to execute the project.

In Chitrakoot, UPEIDA will acquire only 250 of 300 hectares while in Aligarh, the project will initially be rolled out in 48 hectares out of the proposed 100 hectares.

Accordingtoindustryexperts, Jhansi and its adjoining areas are most suitable for rolling out defence projects in Bundelkhand region as the city is connected with all major cities of Uttar Pradesh through road and rail network. Both the north-south and the east-west corridors pass through Jhansi, making it a unique city, they added.

The drought –hit Bundelkhand region will be the biggest beneficiary of the Defence Corridor project. Through this project, the government aims to generate one lakh job in the Bundelkhand region alone.

Jhansi has also been selected for the Centre’s smart city project. An amount of Rs 2,040 crore will be spent to roll out the Smart City project in Jhansi in the next five years. Out of this, Rs 32 crore has been allocated for strengthening the economic status of the region.