BJP paves poll highway with missive to Centre

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to reach out to the Union ministry of surface transport and National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to expedite construction of national highways, bypasses, over-bridges and ring roads, proposed to be built in various parts of the state. Seamless road connectivity is one of the key electoral and development planks of the BJP government, which is already constructing three expressways straddling the state from Bundelkhand to Poorvanchal.
With less than two years left for Assembly elections, BJP in UP is getting battle-ready with a thrust to development projects, essentially roads.
“Development of national highways and other big-ticket projects related to roads and bridges need to be fast-tracked with Centre’s help. Many projects lie frozen or in disarray because of the pandemic-triggered lockdown. We also need to coordinate with each other for efficient implementation of developmental projects,” said principal secretary, Nitin Ramesh Gokarn, PWD, while speaking to TOI on Wednesday.
He said, green-field projects like ring roads in Prayagraj and Kanpur need to be swiftly taken up by the Centre to resolve thorny issues like land acquisition.
“Also, the detailed project reports (DPRs) of these projects need to be resolved and approved by the Centre soon,” he said.
The move comes days after the state government decided to allocate Rs 150 crore for development of district roads in four districts of Aligarh, Moradabad, Kushinagar and Kanpur.
The public works department (PWD) is also planning to expedite construction of Ram Van Gaman Marg connecting Ayodhya and Chitrakoot.
Likewise, PWD is set to invite bids for construction of a bridge at Phaphamau in Prayagraj by July 7. Land acquisition for the project has been completed, officials said.