Which expressway is known as India's first smart and green highway?

The Eastern Peripheral Expressway, also called the Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal (KGP) Expressway or National Expressway II, was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 27 May 2018. It is about 135 km long and runs through the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, around the eastern side of Delhi.

Why it is called "smart and green":

• It has solar power plants along the route that power its lights and systems.
• It has an "Intelligent Highway Traffic Management System" (HTMS) and video incident detection system.
• Every 500 metres, there is a rainwater harvesting system on both sides of the road.
• Tolls are collected through a "closed tolling system", in which drivers pay only for the distance they actually travel.
• Lakhs of trees were planted along the route.
• It also has "replicas" of famous Indian monuments, such as the Qutub Minar and India Gate, and fountains along the way.

Purpose: Its main aim is to take heavy vehicles that do not need to enter Delhi away from the city, which reduces traffic congestion and air pollution in the capital. It forms a ring around Delhi together with the Western Peripheral Expressway (the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal or KMP Expressway), which runs on the western side.

Other notable expressways of India:

• Mumbai-Pune Expressway (2002): India's first six-lane, concrete, access-controlled tolled expressway.
• Yamuna Expressway: connects Greater Noida to Agra.
• Agra-Lucknow Expressway: opened in 2016.
• Delhi-Mumbai Expressway: under construction, set to be India's longest expressway.
• Purvanchal Expressway: in Uttar Pradesh.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Yamuna Expressway connects Greater Noida with Agra.
• ✗The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was India's first six-lane concrete expressway.
• ✗The Agra-Lucknow Expressway connects Agra with Lucknow.