Work on the Vindhya Expressway project is progressing in Prayagraj, with the alignment for 45 of the 84 affected villages finalized and submitted to the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEDA). Survey and verification work is continuing in the remaining 33 villages.
The 333-kilometre Vindhya Expressway, proposed to connect Prayagraj with Bhadohi, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra, will pass through a total of 84 villages in Prayagraj district. Alignment and mapping work for 45 villages has been completed, and the district administration has submitted the final report to UPEDA. Survey and verification activities are being carried out in the remaining 33 villages.
Under the project, the expressway will pass through villages in the Soraon, Phulpur and Handia tehsils. During the review of the preliminary proposal prepared by UPEDA's consultant agency, discrepancies related to land records were identified in several villages and were subsequently corrected by the district administration.
During the survey, discrepancies were found in gata numbers, land area records and landowners' names in 31 villages. The district administration completed the required corrections before submitting the final report for 45 villages to UPEDA. Officials said the corrections were necessary to ensure transparency in the future land acquisition and compensation process.
Verification work is currently underway in 33 villages, including six villages in Soraon, 12 in Phulpur and 12 in Handia. After completion of the verification process, proposals for certain gram panchayats will also be prepared. According to officials, the survey and verification process is expected to take approximately one to one-and-a-half months to complete.
Special Land Acquisition Officer and Additional District Magistrate (Namami Gange) Sanjeev Kumar Shakya said the report for 45 villages has already been submitted to UPEDA and verification of the remaining villages is being carried out on a priority basis. Nodal Officer for the project and Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Vinita Singh said the process of land registration and acquisition will begin after alignment and verification work for all villages is completed.
Necessary instructions have already been issued to officials in the concerned tehsils for the next stage of the process. The administration aims to complete land acquisition on schedule so that construction of the Vindhya Expressway can progress within the prescribed timeline. The expressway is proposed to improve road connectivity between Prayagraj, Bhadohi, Mirzapur and Sonbhadra while supporting the region's economic and industrial development.
