Madhya Pradesh cabinet approves 404 km Atal Expressway connecting Rajasthan, MP, UP

Bhopal, Oct 6: The Madhya Pradesh cabinet has approved the proposal of providing government land in exchange for the private land being acquired for the 313-km four-lane Atal Pragati Path, an expressway project being implemented under the Bharatmala project.

In a virtual cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday, it was decided that the government land will be provided in exchange for private land to people affected by the Atal Path construction, a state government statement said.

The government land, provided in exchange to the affected owners, will be double the private land''s cost. Similarly, the double value of the acquired properties (buildings) will be given to its owners, it said.

The proposed Atal Pragati Path will pass through Sheopur, Morena and Bhind districts of Madhya Pradesh, the statement said.

This project is included in the Centre''s Bharatmala Project. The state government is providing land free for the project.

In all the three districts, total 1,300 hectares of private land, 1,523 hectares of government land and 270 hectares of forest land will be required.

Of the total 3,093 hectares of required land, 1,523 hectares of the land was already transferred to the Centre in September 2020, the statement said.

The process of diversion of 270 hectares of forest land is underway, it said.

The work of handing over all the land for the project is to be completed by December 2021.