Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has issued directions to roll out a special campaign to make roads in the state ‘gaddha mukt’ or pothole free. He has set a deadline of November 15 for ensuring that all roads are repaired.
Chairing a high level meeting on Thursday, the CM also reviewed arrangements for the Indian Road Congress scheduled to start in Lucknow on October 8. The CM has said that along with construction of roads, attention should also be given to road maintenance.
He said that since monsoon is in its last phase over the state, repair work can start immediately. PWD, urban development, irrigation, housing and urban planning, rural development, sugarcane development, industrial development and other departments involved in the road management should get together and prepare an action plan, he said.
“Special attention must be given to having good roads in industrial and mandi areas. Road construction projects should be completed on time and their quality should be assessed at regular intervals. Private investors should be involved in road construction. UP State Highway Authority should prepare an action plan for road construction through the PPP mode,” the CM said.
Keeping in view future needs, it is necessary to widen and strengthen various state highways in the state, the CM said, directing concerned departments to prepare necessary proposals for their upgradation and widening as national highways and sent to the Union government.
In his review of the Indian Road Congress preparations, the CM said that the event would see participation of Union ministers and around 1,500 participants from national and international companies and organisations associated with road construction.
“In the past five years, the state has adopted new techniques for road construction and has presented a model for improving connectivity to border areas. The Rural Engineering Department has not only improved the quality of roads, but also reduced the cost by building roads by using Full Depth Reclamation (FDR) technology. Roads are being made from plastic waste,” the CM said, adding that the delegates should be made aware of these innovations. He also said that they should be taken to see the Purvanchal and Bundelkhand Expressways, adding that these projects were completed in record time even though the construction took place during the Covid-19.
The CM also directed officials to ensure that students of various engineering and technology institutes be invited to attend the sessions as they would benefit greatly by attending the extensive discussions on new technologies being used in India and abroad.
He also said that artists from the Hariharpur Gharana, the oldest heritage of Indian music, should be invited to perform at the event, adding that the gharana is associated with classical singing, instrumental and dance and delegates should be introduced to this “this invaluable cultural heritage”.