Mayawati's Ganga Expressway

Ganga Expressway

The chief minister Mayawati for her ambitious Rs. 40,000 crore Ganga Expressway project is going to face strong opposition not only from her political rivals but also from a section of river scientists and experts.
A serious discussion among the civil engineers and professors on this issue is on at the Ganga Laboratory of the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University (BHU). In pure scientific and technical terms they are studying the contents of the project the chief minister had announced in the first week of September. Point wise assessment of the project is being done, and it would be forwarded to the chief minister and other concerned authorities for re-evaluation in light of technical facts.
“How is it being claimed that the proposed expressway would control the flood,” questioned Prof. UK Chaudhary, the head of Ganga Laboratory. Describing the project as rubbish, he further questioned about the technical know-how being applied in it. “The flood is beyond the controlling limit of any embankment. An embankment cannot control the flood rather it minimises the flood fury at one point by increasing at another point,” he claimed and added, “I just want to know from the technical experts of the chief minister how the flood would be mitigated by the expressway’s embankment”.
It may be mentioned here that according to the CM’s plan ‘The expressway would be constructed by building flood control embankments on river Ganga. This multipurpose and ambitious project would benefit entrepreneurs, traders, citizens and people of the rural areas among others. It would ensure rapid development of the backward areas situated on the left bank of river Ganga”. It has been mentioned in the project that it would have dual benefits as it would ensure smooth transport facilities on one hand, while on the other it would stop erosion of land and save lakhs of hectares of cultivable land. A large number of people residing in villages situated on the banks of river Ganga and facing the fury of floods year after year would be the biggest beneficiaries of this project. This expressway will be constructed on the proposed marginal embankment of the state irrigation department to be built for controlling floods on the left bank of river Ganga. The proposed eight-lane 1000-km long and 100 -meter wide expressway would originate from Ballia and pass through Varanasi, Allahabad, Pratapgarh, Unnao, Shahjahanpur, Badaun, Bulandshahr and link NOIDA with eastern UP. The embankment will be 7-8 meter high. The entire project will be in the kachhar areas of Ganga river, and it would be 1.5 kms. away from the river water flow.
“The magnitude of the earthwork for the 7-8 meter high embankment in 1000-km length could be understand with the fact that it would require a 700-800 meter wide strip of land (fertile land),” said Chaudhary adding that only the acquisition of such a vast stretch of land may consume the entire cost of the project. Besides, the quantum of agricultural loss should also be taken in consideration while taking up this project because almost whole stretch of land is fertile, he said. “It is only few aspects related to construction, while the fact is that there are infinite number of problems in this project,” said Chaudhary, who was busy in discussing the project with his two colleagues PK Maitie and SK Gupta both from the department of civil engineering (hydraulic) of IT-BHU. “The other dangerous aspect is that it may affect the river adversely due to simultaneous occurrence of erosion and sedimentation and enhancement of meandering of the river,” he said and added that it is the groundwater not the surface water that maintains the flow of a river. “And any change in groundwater directly affects the river system,” he added. He also wants to initiate a purposeful debate on the issue in the interest of people as well as state. Chaudhary is also busy in documenting his points with proper scientific explanations to send to the chief minister. “Whatever be the planners’ logic for preparing this project but I am sure that it is good for nothing,” he said. On the other hand, the political parties including Bharatiya Janata Party, Samajwadi Parti, Congress and political stalwarts like former Prime Minister VP Singh had already threatened to launch intensified movements against the proposed expressway.
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