Yogi Government Drops Word 'Samajwadi' From Purvanchal Expressway

An ambitious highway project that aims to link Lucknow to Ballia would now be known only as Purvanchal Expressway, as the Uttar Pradesh cabinet on Tuesday decided to drop the word 'Samajwadi' from its name.

The expressway, linking the state capital with the eastern parts of UP, had been mooted by the previous Samajwadi Party government headed by Akhilesh Yadav.

The state cabinet in a meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Tuesday decided to drop the word 'Samajwadi' from the name and it will be known only as 'Purvanchal Expressway,' minister for industrial development, Satish Mahana told reporters here.

Work on the expressway will begin only after 80 per cent land for the project is acquired, the minister said, adding that 40.71 per cent of the required land has already been acquired.

The minister said that tenders which had earlier been invited for the project, will get cancelled on their own.

A target has been set according to which the 353 km long expressway is to be completed in two years, he said.

In another important decision, the cabinet gave its approval to increase the retirement age of Provincial Medical Service (PMS) doctors from 60 to 62 years.

With this 1,000 more doctors will be available in 2017-2018, which is a step towards improvement in the health sector which faces shortage of medical practitioners, health minister Siddharth Nath Singh said.

The cabinet also discussed the mining policy. Special arrangements will be put in force to check illegal mining by installing CCTV and GPS, it is learnt.

A decision was also taken to increase the time slot of 'pattas' (mining lease contracts).