Motorable roads now, renovations after rains—CM Yogi’s stern directive to officials
Lucknow, September 11: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that roads damaged by rain and floods be immediately repaired to make them motorable, and that they be renovated as needed after the rains. In a review meeting of the Public Works Department on Friday, he stated that the rains are still continuing, so the condition of the roads should be continuously monitored and newly damaged roads should also be surveyed.
Chief Minister said that during the upcoming festivals, a large number of people will travel, and therefore, there should be no traffic disruptions on major roads. He directed that necessary repairs and renovations be completed before the festivals. The Chief Minister clarified that pothole-free work should not be limited to patchwork. Where roads are in poor condition, they should be made motorable immediately, and permanent renovations should be carried out as needed after the monsoons end.
It was informed at the meeting that heavy rainfall, as well as the movement of heavy vehicles due to ongoing projects such as expressways, national highways, and railways, have damaged many roads. A department-wise survey of these roads is being conducted. Based on the survey, damaged roads will be identified and department-wise targets for pothole-free roads will be set.
In view of the upcoming festivals, 681 important roads have been identified in the state. These include routes with high traffic during major festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Vishwakarma Puja, Navratri, Diwali, Chhath Puja, and Kartik Purnima. Preparations are underway to maintain these roads on a priority basis.
The Chief Minister also inquired about their action plans from officials of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. The action plans of the Mandi Parishad, Panchayati Raj, Irrigation, Rural Development, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Planning, and Infrastructure and Industrial Development departments were also reviewed.
He stressed the need for better coordination among all relevant departments.
The department’s presentation stated that the pothole-free campaign includes roads from nine departments. These departments have approximately 4.36 lakh kilometers of roads under their jurisdiction. The current target is to make approximately 50,000 kilometers of roads pothole-free, of which work has been completed on approximately 5,751 kilometers so far. Department-wise targets will be finalized after a survey of damaged roads.
Renovation and special repair work was also reviewed. According to the department, a target of approximately 30,000 kilometers has been set for renovation and approximately 5,000 kilometers for special repair. To date, progress has been reported for approximately 14,000 kilometers in renovation and approximately 700 kilometers in special repair.
Yogi stated that roads are directly connected to the everyday lives of the common man. Priority should be given to roads near educational institutions, hospitals, main markets, government offices, and other places with high public traffic.
He directed officials to begin work on these routes immediately and ensure that repairs are made passable without delay. He emphasized that quality must be maintained along with speed.
Present at the meeting were Water Power Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, Panchayati Raj Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, Minister of State for Public Works Department Brajesh Singh, Minister of State for Industrial Development Jaswant Singh Saini, Minister of State for Water Power Ramkesh Nishad, and Minister of State for Rural Development Vijay Laxmi Gautam.-
