Suspense Crime Sach Ka Dam
New Delhi/Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday attended the review meeting of National Highway-related projects held at Bharat Mandap in New Delhi. During this, he placed the demand for expansion of national highways in the state before Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. He also assured that the process of expansion of national highways in Uttar Pradesh will not be allowed to stop and that every obstacle coming in this will be resolved promptly. Apart from this, the land of any department will be given free of cost for the expansion of national highways.
The number of national highways increased from 48 to 93
The Chief Minister said that in 2017, there were a total of 48 national highways of 8364 km length in the state, while in 2024 their number increased to 93 and the length of national highways has also increased to 12,733 km. However, he also said that from the population point of view, it is still less than the national average of 11.77 km per lakh population. To bring it to the level of the national average, 11 thousand 500 km more national highways will have to be built. He said that in the state, 500 km of national highways are less than two lanes and 1500 km of national highways are only two lanes. Whereas, the minimum level of national highway should be 2 lanes plus paved shoulder. Apart from this, he also said that the projects related to the Maha Kumbh to be held in 2025, including Prayagraj Ring Road, are also necessary to be completed by December 2024.
Focus on Varanasi, Mathura and Ayodhya
The Chief Minister, while specifically mentioning Varanasi, Mathura, and Ayodhya, said that these are the main tourist spots of the state, where the number of tourists and pilgrims is increasing day by day. He said that after completing the remaining work of Varanasi Ring Road (Ganga Bridge), this ring road should be opened for traffic soon. The Chief Minister said that it is necessary to declare Braj Chaurasi Kosi Parikrama Marg as a national highway. He also requested for strengthening the Ayodhya bypass. He requested that 10 new highways of the state be declared national highways. He said that the process of ring road construction is either going on or has been completed in 13 out of 18 divisions of the state, apart from this, it is also necessary to build ring roads in five divisions of the state, Aligarh, Devipatan, Jhansi, Mirzapur and Saharanpur. He stressed keeping the maintenance of all national highways in the state at a high level.
There will be no hindrance in the construction of the highway
The Chief Minister assured the Central Government that the obstacles in the implementation of National Highways will be resolved promptly in the state. The process of land acquisition and compensation distribution will be completed promptly. Apart from this, the state government has also decided that the land of any department will be given free of cost for the expansion of National Highways. Also, Forest clearance will be done on time. He assured to make the land available with the Irrigation Department or other department available as non-forest land for forest clearance proposals. He also said that the state government will not charge the shutdown fee imposed by UP PTCL on the projects of National Highways.
