Chairman of the UP Council of Confederation of Indian Industries (CII), Deepak Malik said: “The Rs 40,000 crore eight-lane Ganga Expressway project, to be built on the PPP model, will provide new opportunities to the state, especially in the central and eastern region.”

“The project will provide impetus to commercial and industrial activities along the Expressway,” said Shishir Jaipuria, chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Committee of PHD Chamber of Commerce.

Besides eyeing the project as a lucrative business option, the state budget’s allocation of Rs 6,347 crore for roads and bridges across the state has also caught the fancy of the industry.

Commenting on this year’s budget, Malik said, “The Budget is in sync with the thinking of the CII which lays great emphasis on infrastructure development.”

Mukesh Tandon, general secretary of the Indian Industries Association (IIA) said that infrastructure development had been the industry’s constant demand for several years.

“The government’s initiative to execute several projects in the PPP model will expedite the completion of the projects, besides lessening the burden on the government exchequer.”

PHD Chamber of Commerce President, Venugopal N Dhoot, however, expressed his concern over the indebtedness plaguing the state.

“UP remains under a heavy burden of public debt. The effort of the government should be to honour them in a meticulous manner,” he said.