Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday directed to run a special campaign to make the roads of the state pothole-free before Diwali in the coming November.
During a meeting with various departments, the CM said that the monsoon situation this year is unusual. “There is a possibility of continuous rain in many districts in the coming days. Keeping this in mind, a state-wide road pothole-free campaign should be run before Diwali in November. Traffic should be facilitated by placing boulders and running rollers where there is a rainy season,” he said.
He said that about 4 lakh kilometers of roads of departments like Public Works Department, NHAI, Mandi Parishad, Irrigation, Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Sugar Industry and Sugarcane Development, Housing and Infrastructure, and Industrial Development.
Yogi said, “It is the responsibility of all of us to make walking on every road a pleasant experience for the common man. If the previously operated roads deteriorate due to big projects like the metro or expressway, the concerned department would be held responsible.”
After being briefed about the departmental action plan for the pothole-free roads campaign, the CM directed the concerned departments to focus on better planning, ruling out any dearth of funds in this regard.
He directed all the departments to ensure that the agency or contractor involved in the construction of the road also takes responsibility for maintaining the road for the next 5 years after its construction. “The terms and conditions in this regard should be clearly mentioned,” he said.
Terming engineers as the backbone of construction work, Yogi said that there should be no shortage of engineers anywhere, and if necessary, they should be deployed through outsourcing also.
Directing departmental ministers and officers to review construction projects by making random visits to the field and fixing accountability, he stressed on mechanised repair of roads rather than manual repair. He said that engineers should be posted only on the basis of merit.
The CM said that every department should ensure that people with mafia or criminal tendencies do not get a place in any public-interest project. “Their close relatives and gang operatives should also be kept away from contracts,” he said.
He said that geo-tagging should be done for the pothole-free and re-construction campaigns. “It should be linked to the PM Gatishakti portal, and its own portal should also be developed on similar lines so that the quality of work can be continuously monitored,” he said.
While giving instructions to the Urban Development and Rural Development Department, Yogi said that water-logged streets must be drained immediately. “Departmental officers should remain present on the streets,” he said.
While discussing the problem of stray dogs in the cities, he gave instructions for speedy implementation of the proposed animal birth control units and making other useful arrangements.
