The Purvanchal Expressway turnaround under Yogi: How the UP govt saved Rs 3,400 crore by scrapping illegal tenders issued by Akhilesh Yadav’s SP

On Monday, 16th February, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made strong remarks about the Purvanchal Expressway and the way its tender was handled under the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government. Referring to the project, he said, “Today, we are going to discuss Tender Award, which is illegal in India. In any project, unless you get 80% of the land, you cannot proceed with the tender. But here, it is done illegally.” He explained that the original Detailed Project Report (DPR) estimated the cost at ₹15,200 crore for a 390-kilometre expressway that was to be 110 metres wide. According to him, when the BJP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh, he reviewed the project in May and asked about its progress in March and again in May. “It was said that everything was zero,” he said. When he asked why, he was told that land for the project had not been acquired. Story of Purvanchal Expressway2016 – No land acquisition, 110 meters wide, Project cost ₹15,200 Cr2019 – >80% land acquisition, 120 meters wide, Project cost ₹11,800 CrCM also reveals that width was increased to accommodate future Delhi Varanasi Bullet Train project pic.twitter.com/dcEsULlNe5— The Uttar Pradesh Index (@theupindex) February 16, 2026 The CM said he was surprised that a tender had been issued even though there was no land. “If there were no land, then how did this tender happen? It is illegal. We got it cancelled,” he said. He added that his government believes projects should not be stopped just because they were started by another party, but there should be no corruption. “If it is in the development of the state, then we have to think beyond party lines,” he said. The BJP Government revised the project After cancelling the earlier tender, the BJP government decided to finish the land acquisition first. CM Yogi said they have expanded the width of the expressway from 110 meters to 120 meters. According to him, they did this with a view to the future, including the possibility of accommodating schemes such as the bullet train corridor between Delhi and Varanasi. He said it took two years to acquire the land. When the fresh tender was floated in 2019, the cost again came to ₹15,200 crore, the same as the earlier DPR. “I was shocked,” Yogi said. He questioned why the cost had not changed at all. He then asked officials whether the technical and financial bids had been opened together. When told that they had been, he said that if they were handled separately, it would have been wrong, but together it was acceptable. The Chief Minister then compared the earlier SP plan with what his government finally executed. He said that the SP government planned to construct the 110-meter-wide expressway at a cost of ₹15,200 crores. “After making it 10 meters wider, when the BJP government constructed the same expressway, it became ₹11,800 crores,” he said, wondering where the remaining amount of around ₹3400 crores would have come from in the previous plan. He said that the previous model of development was also incorrect and that there would have been misuse of public funds. The Purvanchal Expressway, which is 341 kilometres long from Lucknow to Ghazipur, was opened on 16th November 2021 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The foundation stone was laid in July 2018 in Azamgarh. After its opening, the travel time from Ghazipur to Delhi has significantly reduced, and the journey can now be completed in 10 hours. Akhilesh’s earlier false claims about the Purvanchal Expressway The issue has also triggered a war of words between the BJP and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh has earlier claimed that the Purvanchal Expressway was originally his government’s project and that the BJP is taking credit for it. However, the BJP argues that during the SP tenure, the project existed only on paper and that even land acquisition had not been completed. The earlier DPR was faulty and had to be reworked. The route alignment was reportedly optimised, leading to savings of nearly ₹3,000 crore. Akhilesh was also accused of issuing a tender when less than 25% of the land had been acquired, which was against norms. Akhilesh has raised questions about construction quality, median width, riding quality, service lanes, lighting and amenities. However, the BJP maintains that the Purvanchal Expressway meets Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards. The median width, soft shoulders, crash barriers and anti-glare screens have been designed to improve safety. The expressway has provisions for 16 amenity centres, including public convenience centres with refreshment facilities, and fuel stations are being allocated at multiple locations. On riding quality, the government says third-party technical evaluations using laser profile meters have been conducted. To prevent soil erosion, geocell technology has been used instead of traditional methods. There are also 397 kilometres of service lanes across the 341-kilometre stretch,

Feb 18, 2026 0

The Purvanchal Expressway turnaround under Yogi: How the UP govt saved Rs 3,400 crore by scrapping illegal tenders issued by Akhilesh Yadav’s SP
Purvanchal Expressway tender controversy

On Monday, 16th February, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made strong remarks about the Purvanchal Expressway and the way its tender was handled under the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) government. Referring to the project, he said, “Today, we are going to discuss Tender Award, which is illegal in India. In any project, unless you get 80% of the land, you cannot proceed with the tender. But here, it is done illegally.”

He explained that the original Detailed Project Report (DPR) estimated the cost at ₹15,200 crore for a 390-kilometre expressway that was to be 110 metres wide. According to him, when the BJP government came to power in Uttar Pradesh, he reviewed the project in May and asked about its progress in March and again in May. “It was said that everything was zero,” he said. When he asked why, he was told that land for the project had not been acquired.

The CM said he was surprised that a tender had been issued even though there was no land. “If there were no land, then how did this tender happen? It is illegal. We got it cancelled,” he said. He added that his government believes projects should not be stopped just because they were started by another party, but there should be no corruption. “If it is in the development of the state, then we have to think beyond party lines,” he said.

The BJP Government revised the project

After cancelling the earlier tender, the BJP government decided to finish the land acquisition first. CM Yogi said they have expanded the width of the expressway from 110 meters to 120 meters. According to him, they did this with a view to the future, including the possibility of accommodating schemes such as the bullet train corridor between Delhi and Varanasi.

He said it took two years to acquire the land. When the fresh tender was floated in 2019, the cost again came to ₹15,200 crore, the same as the earlier DPR. “I was shocked,” Yogi said. He questioned why the cost had not changed at all. He then asked officials whether the technical and financial bids had been opened together. When told that they had been, he said that if they were handled separately, it would have been wrong, but together it was acceptable.

The Chief Minister then compared the earlier SP plan with what his government finally executed. He said that the SP government planned to construct the 110-meter-wide expressway at a cost of ₹15,200 crores. “After making it 10 meters wider, when the BJP government constructed the same expressway, it became ₹11,800 crores,” he said, wondering where the remaining amount of around ₹3400 crores would have come from in the previous plan. He said that the previous model of development was also incorrect and that there would have been misuse of public funds.

The Purvanchal Expressway, which is 341 kilometres long from Lucknow to Ghazipur, was opened on 16th November 2021 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The foundation stone was laid in July 2018 in Azamgarh. After its opening, the travel time from Ghazipur to Delhi has significantly reduced, and the journey can now be completed in 10 hours.

Akhilesh’s earlier false claims about the Purvanchal Expressway

The issue has also triggered a war of words between the BJP and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Akhilesh has earlier claimed that the Purvanchal Expressway was originally his government’s project and that the BJP is taking credit for it. However, the BJP argues that during the SP tenure, the project existed only on paper and that even land acquisition had not been completed.

The earlier DPR was faulty and had to be reworked. The route alignment was reportedly optimised, leading to savings of nearly ₹3,000 crore. Akhilesh was also accused of issuing a tender when less than 25% of the land had been acquired, which was against norms.

Akhilesh has raised questions about construction quality, median width, riding quality, service lanes, lighting and amenities. However, the BJP maintains that the Purvanchal Expressway meets Indian Road Congress (IRC) standards. The median width, soft shoulders, crash barriers and anti-glare screens have been designed to improve safety. The expressway has provisions for 16 amenity centres, including public convenience centres with refreshment facilities, and fuel stations are being allocated at multiple locations.

On riding quality, the government says third-party technical evaluations using laser profile meters have been conducted. To prevent soil erosion, geocell technology has been used instead of traditional methods. There are also 397 kilometres of service lanes across the 341-kilometre stretch, depending on local requirements.

The BJP has further pointed out that several reputed infrastructure companies, such as Gayatri Projects, APCO Infratech, GR Infra Projects, PNC Infratech and Oriental Structural Engineers were involved in the project through a transparent e-tendering process. Some of these companies had also worked on projects during the SP regime.

Yogi has also contrasted the Purvanchal Expressway with the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, which was inaugurated in 2016 during Akhilesh’s tenure. He said that the Agra-Lucknow Expressway was opened in haste when it was only around 80% complete and that many unfinished works were later completed by the BJP government after 2017.

Uttar Pradesh’s expanding expressway network.

CM Yogi has earlier highlighted how Uttar Pradesh’s infrastructure has expanded in recent years after inaugurating the 91.35-km Gorakhpur Link Expressway in June last year. He has repeatedly stated that the state is shifting from being labelled a “BIMARU” state to becoming an “expressway state.”

Uttar Pradesh had only the Yamuna Expressway and the Agra-Lucknow Expressway in 2017. Today, the state boasts several expressways, including the 340km-long Purvanchal Expressway, the 300km-long Bundelkhand Expressway, and the 91km-long Gorakhpur Link Expressway.

The Agra-Lucknow Express was also incomplete, and it was completed by the double-engine government (BJP in power at the Centre and in UP), he added.

The Gorakhpur Link Expressway, which connects Gorakhpur to the Purvanchal Expressway at Salarpur in Azamgarh. Constructed at a cost of ₹7,283 crores, the expressway passes through Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, and Azamgarh. According to the Chief Minister, this expressway will give a huge fillip to eastern Uttar Pradesh and will further connect the districts of Azamgarh and Ambedkar Nagar.

He has stated that Uttar Pradesh now holds a strong position in terms of India’s access-controlled expressway network and that several more expressways are under construction. The Ganga Expressway is soon to be opened in late March this year, further connecting the state.

The Purvanchal Expressway itself connects nine districts: Lucknow, Barabanki, Amethi, Sultanpur, Ayodhya, Ambedkar Nagar, Azamgarh, Mau and Ghazipur. An airstrip measuring 3.2 kilometres has also been constructed on the expressway for use in case of emergencies by the Indian Air Force. During the inauguration ceremony of the expressway, fighter jets such as the Rafale and Sukhoi performed landing and take-off exercises.

CM Yogi has also said that there is a direct correlation between infrastructure development and economic development. He claims that the development of expressways has led to increased investment, tourism, and industrialisation. He believes that with improved infrastructure, including roads, law and order, and a stable environment, Uttar Pradesh is poised to become a leading economic destination.

The Purvanchal Expressway remains one of the flagship infrastructure projects in the state. With more expressways under construction and new ones in the pipeline, the debate over development models is likely to remain at the centre of Uttar Pradesh’s political narrative.

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