Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that with the construction of the Chambal Express Way, the rough terrain and backward area of the State will be developed as an industrial area. He said that he visualises this project as ‘Chambal Progress Way’ not as ‘Chambal Express Way’. The Union Minister for Transport Nitin Gadkari was holding discussion on Chambal Express Way through video conferencing.

The Chief Minister said that this is a dream project of the Government. There is a provision to provide only 50 per cent of the land free of cost under the Bharatmala. The Madhya Pradesh Government is providing 100 per cent land worth Rs 421 crore free of cost to complete this dream project. Apart from this, the State Government as a financial assistance will provide Rs 330 crore in the form of royalty of soil and muroom and will also bear the expenditure of Rs 30 crore to be incurred on permissions of forest land. Thus the State Government will provide total financial assistance of Rs 781 crore.

Chouhan informed that the ‘Express Way’ will be 309 k.m. long in the State. It will connect the boundaries of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh via Sheopur, Morena and Bhind. This route will be connected to the Golden Quadrilateral (Agra-Kanpur) route in Bhind, North-South Corridor in Morena and Delhi Mumbai Corridor in Rajasthan. The area will receive industrial investment due to smooth and convenient transit route.

Besides, the Chief Minister Chouhan said that for economic/industrial development, this area will be developed by the State Government for defense production, food processing, heavy industry, warehousing, logistics and transport industries.

Union Minister for Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Narendra Singh Tomar said that this project was also started by the Chief Minister Chouhan in the year 2017. The construction of the Express Way will help in the development of this backward area to a great extent.

In the video conference, the Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia suggested to construct the Chambal Express Way along Bhind-Kota railway line. The Chief Minister said that 52 per cent Government land is available with us for the Chambal Expressway.

The remaining 48 per cent land for this project will be made available on the basis of exchange model. As soon as the alignment is over, this land will be handed over for construction work. The Chief Secretary Iqbal Singh Bains and officials concerned were present at the video conference.