Farmers prosper as Gkp e-way turns into reality

Gorakhpur: The Gorakhpur Link Expressway has become not only a symbol of fast-paced connectivity and regional development, but also of farmer prosperity. Yogi Adityanath-led govt ensured landowners who contributed their land for the mega project were duly rewarded. As many as 22,029 farmers were paid compensation of Rs 2030.29 crore in a transparent process, laying foundation for a development model built on trust and participation.

Spread across four districts—Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar, and Azamgarh—the project required acquisition of 1148.77 hectares of land from 172 villages. Compensation payments were made through direct benefit transfer (DBT), ensuring transparency and timeliness.

Of the total land acquired, Gorakhpur district contributed maximum, with 570.73 hectares from 88 villages. A compensation of Rs 1,248.28 crore was disbursed to 1,2935 farmers. In Ambedkar Nagar, Rs 438.04 crore was paid to 4,741 farmers for 297.88 hectares. Azamgarh saw 3931 farmers receive Rs 328.71 crore for 259.25 hectares, while in Sant Kabir Nagar, 422 farmers received Rs 15.26 crore for 20.91 hectares.

Govt's farmer-first approach was evident when Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath honoured 500 land-contributing farmers at a special ceremony held in 2020 in GIDA (Gorakhpur Industrial Development Authority) area. The Chief Minister felicitated 40 of them.

The expressway, stretching 91.35 km from Gorakhpur to Azamgarh, is now set to be inaugurated on Friday. As the corridor prepares to fuel industrial growth, farmer cooperation and trust stand out as the true pillars of this success story.