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Shahjahans
Taj Mahal got a bit closer to Delhi today, with the ~12,000-crore Yamuna
Expressway being thrown open to public today.
At
the inaugural ceremony, some complained about the high toll rates and some
about land acquisition, but the management of Jaypee Infratech, which built it
and will operate it, tried to assuage the critics by promising a free ride on
the 165-km concrete stretch till Independence Day next week.
Once
the free run is over, a ride comes at ~150 for twowheelers, ~320 for cars and
~1,050 for trucks and buses. Some farmers want toll-free access, while some
want their plots of land given for it to be returned, as they do not accept the
compensation being offered by the company.
The
project, revived by former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati in 2007,
connects Noida with Agra, covering five districts in the state.
It
is expected to reduce travel time between Delhi and Agra by 90 minutes, to just
a two-hour drive. The management has limited the speed for lightweight motor
vehicles to 100 km/hr, with strict surveillance.This reverberated in Lucknow,
where Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav inaugurated the project
through video-conference. He requested commuters not to exceed the speed limit
though his partys Member of Parliament Ram Gopal Yadav, felt that the
expressway should permit a speed of 120 km/hr.
The promoters, who
were seen to be close to the Mayawati government, were reprimanded by the new
UP chief minister for incomplete service lane, adjacent to the expressway and
lack of development of adjacent villages
