New Delhi: In view of facilitating ease of movement, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ji has given instructions to run a massive campaign for pothole-free roads in the state. In the high level meeting convened on Thursday, the Chief Minister gave necessary directions regarding the said campaign. In the meeting, the Chief Minister also reviewed the preparations for the 81st session of the Indian Road Congress to be held in Lucknow from October 8.
Major guidelines issued by the Chief Minister at the meeting are the following:
*. Better connectivity is the vehicle of progress. Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, unprecedented work has been done in this field in the last five years. Today there is good road connectivity to remote villages. There is a network of excellent roads till the border areas benefitting the people of the state directly.
*. Along with the construction of the road, its maintenance should also be taken care of. It is also necessary to repair the roads from time to time. As the rainy season is in its final stages, road repair works and pothole-clearing can be done now. All the departments related to road construction including PWD, Urban Development, Irrigation, Housing and Urban Planning, Rural Development, Rural Engineering, Sugarcane Development and Industrial Development should prepare a comprehensive action plan in this regard. It is necessary to have good roads in industrial areas and agricultural market areas. Special attention should be given to this. This campaign to rid roads of potholes should be completed by November 15.
*. Whether a person lives in a village or in a metro city, good roads, better connectivity is his right. Therefore, roads must be good, whether it is of single lane or of two, four or six lanes. It should be ensured that road construction projects are completed on time. Their quality should also be checked from time to time. In cases of negligence or substandard roads, accountability should be fixed with a policy of zero tolerance.
*. Sugarcane Development Department has done a great job in the last five years. Whether it is about making record payment of cane price arrears to the farmers or establishing new sugar mills and renovating old ones, commendable work has been done in every field. Connecting with the concept of self-reliant Uttar Pradesh, the Sugarcane Development Department should also try to establish a special fund for the restoration of sugar mills, technical capacity enhancement, providing soft loans to private sugar mills, as well as carrying out construction, maintenance and repair works. This fund will be useful for infrastructure development.
*. The cooperation of private sector investors should be sought in road construction. The Uttar Pradesh State Highway Authority (UPSHA) should prepare an action plan for the construction of good quality roads on PPP mode.
*. Honorable Ministers of the Government of India will have a dignified presence in the 81st session of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) to be held from October 08, hosted by Uttar Pradesh. In addition, 1500 representatives of national and international organizations/companies involved in road construction are going to participate. All the preparations should be completed on time to make this convention unforgettable for the delegates.
*. In the last five years, innovative work has been done in the direction of improving the technology of road construction in the state. The state has presented a model in the field of border connectivity. The Rural Engineering Department has not only improved the quality of roads, but also reduced the cost by building roads based on FDR technology. The construction work is being done under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana through Full Depth Reclamation Technique (FDR). Today, the Government of India has sent many states to learn from this model of our effort. Roads are being made from plastic waste. We should acquaint the IRC delegates with such innovations of the state.
*. Despite the challenges of COVID, we have created world class connectivity in the form of Poorvanchal and Bundelkhand Expressways without any dispute in record time, ensuring the highest quality. Arrangements should also be made for the field visits of the delegates to the expressways.
*. The latest technologies of the country and the world will be discussed in the IRC session. It will be extremely useful for our engineering students. Therefore, students of various engineering and technology institutes should also be made participants of the event. In this regard, communication should be made with colleges in time.
*. The event should be presented as an excellent example of hospitality, along with adequate security arrangements for the delegates attending the Indian Road Congress. Invite artists from the Hariharpur Gharana, the oldest heritage of Indian music, to perform. This gharana is associated with all the three genres i.e. classical singing, instrumental and dance. We must introduce our delegates to this invaluable cultural heritage.
*. Before 2017 there was only one expressway while there are six expressways now in the state. National Highways have also almost doubled as compared to 5 years ago. The border area has excellent connectivity. Keeping in view the need of the future, there is a need for widening and strengthening of various state highways of the state. In such a situation, while marking the roads, necessary proposals regarding their upgradation and widening as national highways should be prepared and sent to the Government of India.
