Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari held a high-level meeting here on Saturday to review the progress of critical road infrastructure projects in the state, particularly those aimed at facilitating the Maha Kumbh scheduled in Prayagraj next year.
The review covered multiple projects, including the widening of the 63.17-km Raebareli-Prayagraj national highway, construction of four-lane bypasses at four locations, a 7.6-km segment of the Prayagraj Inner Ring Road, and the development of a six-lane bridge parallel to an existing one over the Ganga river at Phaphamau.
The Maha Kumbh Mela will be held at Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26. The world's largest religious congregation is expected to see a footfall of more than 43 crore pilgrims this time, according to official estimates.
"Both leaders emphasised the timely completion of all ongoing works, instructing officials to ensure their readiness by December 25, 2024, with strict adherence to quality and safety standards," the Uttar Pradesh government said in a statement.
Describing the Maha Kumbh as a confluence of India's religious, cultural and social heritage, Adityanath said he expects the event to draw millions of devotees and tourists.
He also stressed the need for robust infrastructure, directing officials to install CCTV cameras, streetlights and safety mechanisms along the key highways.
Additional facilities like ambulances, recovery vehicles, patrolling units and medical-and-traffic-assistance posts should also be prioritised, the chief minister said.
Gadkari highlighted the broader roadmap for road development in Uttar Pradesh, including discussions on proposals worth Rs 1.39 lakh crore.
This includes strengthening NH-530B in Bareilly, constructing a bypass at Pratapgarh, upgrading the Prayagraj-Dohri Ghat road to four lanes and completing the Barabanki-Jarwal-Bahraich road (NH-927).
According to the state government, the projects in their advanced stages include the Shamli-Gorakhpur and Aligarh-Moradabad-Bijnor corridors for which bids have already been secured.
Connectivity initiatives such as the Ayodhya (Utraula)-Prayagraj and Prayagraj-Varanasi-Ara-Patna corridors are also underway. Feasibility studies and detailed project reports (DPRs) for other significant routes like the Gorakhpur-Jamania-Saidraja and Gorakhpur-Kishanganj-Siliguri corridors are progressing, the government said.
Adityanath also pressed for expedited land acquisition and approvals for the upcoming projects, urging the authorities to mitigate road-accident risks through coordinated efforts.
"Both leaders also explored proposals for bypass construction in 10 districts and the enhancement of the existing highways like the Lucknow-Gorakhpur, Banda-Kanpur and Gorakhpur-Varanasi routes," the statement said.
The meeting held at the chief minister's official residence was attended by state Transport Minister Dayashankar Singh, senior state and Central officials, and representatives from the National Highways Authority of India and Public Works Department.
At the meeting, officials highlighted that two out of four bypasses on National Highway-30 (Rae Bareli to Prayagraj section) at Jagatpur, Babuganj, Unchahar, and Alapur have been completed, while the remaining two are scheduled for timely completion.
Additionally, construction of the 10.98 km two-lane Pratapgarh bypass and the 5.10 km four-lane Jasra bypass was emphasised as crucial for improving traffic flow.
The chief minister directed that ambulances and recovery vehicles be stationed at intervals of 20 km on national highways to ensure rapid emergency response.
He also instructed the integration of nearby hospitals with an incident management system for improved road safety and emergency handling.
Further measures included the installation of additional lighting at key points along the highways and extra toilet facilities at the toll plazas on Maha Kumbh routes.
Adityanath also called for repairing the major highways such as the Lucknow-Gorakhpur, Banda-Kanpur, and Gorakhpur-Varanasi routes to ensure smooth travel for the pilgrims.
Gadkari instructed the officials to develop proposals for bypasses in 10 additional districts, including Auraiya, Bulandshahr, Mainpuri, Bahraich, Baghpat, Bhadohi, Sambhal, Kaushambi, Chandauli, and Shravasti.
He also directed the officials to prepare DPRs for the new corridors such as the Gorakhpur-Shamli and Kanpur-Ghaziabad routes.
Gadkari noted that bypasses are operational in 53 districts, with work underway in eight more.
Senior officials attending the meeting reported progress on the Shamli-Gorakhpur and Aligarh-Moradabad-Bijnor corridors, for which bids have been received.
Connectivity improvement between Ayodhya (Utraula) and Prayagraj, as well as the Prayagraj-Varanasi-Ara-Patna corridor were also highlighted, with DPR preparations underway for the Gorakhpur-Jamania-Saidraja and Gorakhpur-Kishangarh-Siliguri routes.
