Rae Bareli project cleared

Thanks to current bonhomie between the Samajwadi Party and the UPA Government, many Centrally-aided projects in Uttar Pradesh, which were pending for years, are getting approved. And the Gandhi family seems to be benefiting in the process.

A few days after granting the hefty package to the tune of `45,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh, the Centre on Thursday approved another project to expedite the improvement of infrastructure in Uttar Pradesh at a cost of `647 crore.

The meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh approved the proposal for the development of the two laning with paved shoulders of Rae Bareli- Jaunpur section on the National Highway in Uttar Pradesh that skirts Sonia Gandhi’s constituency.

Only a few days ago, the Centre cleared a hefty package to the tune of `45,000 crore for Uttar Pradesh, conceding almost half of the demand made by the Akhilesh Yadav Government. The package that has been granted to Uttar Pradesh includes release of fresh instalments of funds for Centrally-aided projects which were pending due to various reasons.

The hefty package for Uttar Pradesh comes at a time when the Centre is seeking support for its candidate Hamid Ansari in the Vice-Presidential poll. Mulayam Singh Yadav has already announced his party’s support for Pranab Mukherjee.

The total length of the project in Rae Bareli-Jaunpur section will be 166 km and the concession period will be 17 years, including the construction period of 24 months. The project is covered in the districts of Raibareilly, CSM Nagar, Pratapgarh and Jaunpur in Uttar Pradesh.