Akhilesh urges PM to expedite FNG e-way

NOIDA: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to expedite the development of the Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) expressway. The expressway is now awaiting the Union Cabinet’s approval. According to Noida Authority officials, this could happen in the next two months. “We have already shared the development plans, current status report and further planning of the expressway with the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI),” A K Goel, Noida chief project engineer, told TOI. “In August this year the CM gave an NOC to the Centre for converting the Rs 1,000 crore, 56-km stretch into a national highway and urged the latter to complete the project soon,” Goel said. The Noida Authority has already completed about 90% work on 12km of the total 19.9-km stretch that falls in Noida’s jurisdiction.

On the rest of the stretch, there is a proposal to construct an elevated road and an underpass. “We have urged the Centre to develop the remaining part of the FNG expressway soon. Since we have invested money in developing the major part of the expressway, we have also asked the Centre to reimburse the cost to us in keeping with the policy of the state government,” said Rama Raman, CEO, Noida Authority. The FNG expressway was planned in 1989 and work started on it in 1993. Work on the FNG expressway stretch in Noida started in 2008.

Once it is complete, it is touted to provide fast connectivity to daily commuters of the area. Of its total length, about 19.9km falls in Noida-Greater Noida, 8km in Ghaziabad, while the remaining 28.1km is in Faridabad. . . . .