Yogi Adityanath Orders Immediate Repair of Rain-Damaged Roads in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that roads damaged by rain and floods be repaired without delay and made motorable, with permanent renewal to be taken up after the monsoon. Chairing a review of the Public Works Department, he said repair work should begin immediately and that quality must not be compromised while speeding up execution.

The Chief Minister said the condition of roads should be monitored continuously as the rains continue, and that a survey be conducted of roads newly damaged by rain. Noting that a large number of people travel during the upcoming festivals, he said movement on major roads should face no difficulty and that repair and renewal work be completed before the festive period.

He stressed that making roads pothole-free should not be limited to patchwork. Where a road is currently in poor condition, it should be made motorable at once, with permanent renewal undertaken as required once the monsoon ends.

Mr. Adityanath said roads are directly connected with the everyday life of common people and directed that routes near educational institutions, hospitals, main markets, government offices and other places with heavy public movement be taken up on priority.

Officials informed the review that apart from excessive rainfall, several roads had been damaged by heavy vehicle movement linked to ongoing construction projects on expressways, national highways and railways. The state has identified 681 important routes that see higher traffic during festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Vishwakarma Puja, Navratri, Diwali, Chhath Puja and Kartik Purnima, and preparations are underway to keep them in better condition on a priority basis.

The Chief Minister also sought details of the action plan from officials of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways. Action plans were reviewed for the Mandi Parishad and the Panchayati Raj, Irrigation, Rural Development, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Planning, and Infrastructure and Industrial Development departments, with an emphasis on better coordination among all concerned agencies.

The department said roads under nine departments have been included in the pothole-free campaign, covering about 4.36 lakh kilometres under their jurisdiction. Under the current target, around 50,000 kilometres are to be made pothole-free, of which work on about 5,751 kilometres has been completed so far; final targets will be fixed after a survey of damaged routes.

Renewal and special repair works were also reviewed. A target of around 30,000 kilometres has been set for renewal and about 5,000 kilometres for special repairs. Progress of around 14,000 kilometres in renewal and about 700 kilometres in special repairs has been reported so far.