Jaiprakash Associates Ltd has finally bagged the prestigious 1040 km-long Ganga Expressway Project that will connect Noida in the national capital region to Ballia in the eastern part of the Uttar Pradesh. The expressway was described as the biggest infrastructure project undertaken in the country so far and seen as an engine of transformation for the state economy.

"We have got it against stiff competition. The project will be completed over seven years," Managing Director Manoj Gaur said.

JP Associates has been very successful in big projects in past 2 years. The company has emerged as a major player in Infrastructure sector. Gammon India, Unitech, a consortium led by Zoom Developers, and a consortium led by Reliance Energy were also in the race for the project.

JP Associates won the project as its combined bid for the four parts of the project was the lowest. The expressway promises to reduce travel time from Ballia to Noida to less than 10 hours.

The 8-lane road project, which would pass through 19 districts of Uttar Pradesh along the bank of river Ganga, is estimated to cost around Rs 40,000 crore. The expressway will open huge property development opportunities alongside the route.

JP Associates provides civil engineering and construction services primarily in India. The company is engaged in construction of river valley and hydro power/irrigation/other infrastructure projects.

The company had secured contract worth Rs. 2950 million in previous month from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The company has recently posted 52.94% increase in its net profit of Rs. 1,560 million for the third quarter ended December 31, as compared to Rs.1,020 million for the corresponding period previous year.