Yamuna Expressway opened for Public

Yamuna Expressway opened today for Public in Uttar Pradesh(UP) by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. Yamuna expressway connect Greater Noida/New Delhi and Agra, the city of the Taj Mahal, by nearly half to around two-and-a-half hours. Yamuna Expressway is Built by infrastructure major Jaypee Group, a return drive the same day on the 165-km, six-lane highway will attract a toll of Rs.510, with the state government approving a maximum levy of Rs.2.10 per km for a passenger car, one-way. The toll will come into effect Aug 16 after a six-day celebratory waiver. The CM said the Noida-Greater Noida road would not be included in the expressway and no toll would be realised for using it.
The project saw the light of the day after months of delay due to varied reasons ranging from farmers' protests over land acquisition to demand for free service lanes for nearby villages. When the project was conceived initially a deadline of 2013 was set. But the government later advanced it to 2010 in view of the Commonwealth Games.  The project, built and executed under the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, was inaugurated by her successor Akhilesh Yadav today. Meanwhile, farmers along the route are protesting against non-construction of service lanes. Mathura’s Member of Parliament Jayant Chaudhary has written a letter to Yadav listing these issues. Chaudhary has also said there are farmers along the stretch who have disputes regarding land acquisition.