- By Akansha Pandey
- Wed, 17 Sep 2025 09:56 AM (IST)
- Source:Jagran News Network
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to accelerate road repairs ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja, Dussehra, Diwali, and Chhath festivals. He stressed the importance of ensuring all roads—including highways, expressways, and rural and urban roads—are in excellent condition before the festive season. The directive includes not only repairing damaged sections but also undertaking full reconstruction where necessary.
Review Of Road Repair Campaign
During a recent meeting, the Chief Minister reviewed the ongoing road repair and pothole-filling campaign with officials from various departments, including the NHAI, Mandi Parishad, PWD, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj, Urban Development, Irrigation, and Sugarcane and Sugar Development. He instructed all departments to maintain a consistent pace to meet their targets. The Chief Minister specifically called for speeding up repairs on roads covered by the Pradhan Mantri GraminSadak Yojana. He emphasised that completing road renewal work on time is the responsibility of all departments and that negligence will not be tolerated.
Progress And Directives
Officials reported that out of a total of 678,301 roads in the state, with a combined length of 432,989 km, a target was set to make 44,196 km pothole-free. So far, 21.67 per cent of this work has been completed. In terms of road renewal, 31,514 km of roads are included in the plan, with the PWD having completed 84.82 per cent of its assigned work. Other departments also provided progress updates: the Rural Development Department has completed 62.99 per cent of its work on the 2,750 km of roads identified for repair, while the Urban Development and Infrastructure and Industrial Development departments have completed 35.50 per cent and 48.77 per cent, respectively. The Chief Minister has directed the PWD to complete its survey and submit an action plan to the government by September 30.
Regarding roads critical for festival travel, officials identified 649 routes as being in satisfactory condition, while 114 were found to be unsatisfactory. The Chief Minister ordered the immediate repair of these unsatisfactory routes, stating that the condition of the roads during the festival season is a reflection of the state's image. He mandated daily monitoring and regular progress reports at the government level to ensure no lapses occur.
Urban Development And New Infrastructure
The Chief Minister also reviewed the Urban Development Department's performance, instructing that funds for infrastructure projects in municipal corporations must be used promptly and properly. He stressed the need for transparency in work allocation, warning that unnecessary delays could lead to a reconsideration of the mayors' powers. Additionally, he directed that all outstanding payments to EESL from municipal corporations be cleared immediately.
Finally, the Chief Minister discussed the development of a North-South corridor for the state. He noted that most current highways and expressways run in an east-west direction. To better connect districts from the Nepal border to the southern end of the state, he called for the creation of a new, robust corridor. He advised seeking the NHAI's support for sections that are part of National Highways and proposed that the state government handle the construction, strengthening, and widening of the remaining routes. He also suggested proposing new greenfield road projects where necessary.