Prayagraj: Two major highway projects aimed at strengthening road connectivity across eastern Uttar Pradesh have moved a step closer to execution, with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) set to begin land acquisition survey for the proposed Chitrakoot-Prayagraj-Varanasi greenfield corridor during the upcoming month of Shravan, while preliminary groundwork for the Vindhya Expressway has also gathered pace in Prayagraj.The NHAI has appointed a Bhopal-based consultancy firm to carry out the land acquisition survey for the 294-km four-lane greenfield corridor connecting Chitrakoot, Prayagraj and Varanasi. According to officials, the agency is expected to commence the survey from Chitrakoot in the first week of August.The proposed corridor has been divided between two implementing agencies. While the NHAI will undertake the survey, land acquisition and alignment work for the Chitrakoot-Prayagraj stretch, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways will execute the Prayagraj-Varanasi section.NHAI Deputy Manager, Prayagraj, Prakhar Singh, said the alignment and land acquisition survey is expected to continue for nearly four months. During this period, officials will identify the land required for the proposed four-lane highway across Sadar tehsil in Prayagraj, Manjhanpur tehsil in Kaushambi and areas up to Chitrakoot. The findings will form the basis of the Detailed Project Report (DPR), which will be submitted to the NHAI headquarters for approval.Meanwhile, the proposed Vindhya Expressway has also entered an important preparatory phase. The Prayagraj administration has received the preliminary survey report submitted by the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), indicating that around 210 hectares of land will be required for the project in the district.The proposed expressway will pass through the Soraon, Phulpur and Handia tehsils of Prayagraj. Earlier, UPEIDA identified 73 villages across these three tehsils where land would be needed and sought a detailed assessment from the respective sub-divisional magistrates.The preliminary survey estimates that about 78 hectares of land will be required in Handia, 68 hectares in Phulpur and 64 hectares in Soraon. Officials estimate that between 400 and 500 cultivators could be affected by the acquisition process, although the figure remains tentative.Revenue officials said a detailed field survey by lekhpals is now underway to identify individual landholdings and determine the exact number of affected farmers before the acquisition process is formally initiated.
