Chief Minister and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister assess progress on National Highway projects for Prayagraj Mahakumbh 2025

Lucknow : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reviewed the progress of National Highways and road projects related to Prayagraj Mahakumbh-2025 during a high-level meeting with Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari at his official residence on Saturday.

During the meeting, officials were directed to ensure that all remaining works related to national highways, bypasses, the inner ring road, and bridge construction are completed by December 25 without fail. Emphasis was placed on maintaining the highest quality standards in construction and giving special attention to safety measures.

Among the key ongoing projects is the widening of the 63.17 km Rae Bareli to Prayagraj National Highway. Additionally, four-lane bypasses are being constructed at key locations along with the 7.6 km Prayagraj Inner Ring Road (Phase 1, Package-3). The ongoing developments also include the construction of a 10.98 km two-lane Pratapgarh bypass, a 5.10 km four-lane Jasra bypass, and a new six-lane bridge, along with its approach road, parallel to the existing bridge on the Ganga River at Phaphamau, located 24.2 km from Prayagraj.

The Chief Minister stated that among the four bypasses under construction on National Highway-30 (Rae Bareli to Prayagraj section) at Jagatpur, Babuganj, Unchahar, and Alapur, two have been completed, and the remaining two must be finished on schedule.

He emphasized that there should be no unnecessary delays in completing the ROB under construction on the Unchahar bypass. Additionally, the new six-lane bridge and access road parallel to the existing bridge over the Ganga River at Phaphamau must be completed within the stipulated timeframe.

During the meeting, Chief Minister Adityanath highlighted the significance of the Prayagraj Mahakumbh-2025, which will see millions of devotees and tourists from across India and around the world. He stated that the Central and State Governments are working diligently to improve the infrastructure to accommodate the influx of visitors and ensure smooth operations during the event. He emphasized the need for ambulances and recovery vehicles to be stationed every 20 kilometres along national highways, in addition to patrolling vehicles and cranes to handle emergencies.

To further ensure the safety and convenience of visitors, the Chief Minister directed that all nearby hospitals be integrated with the incident management system for quick relief in case of emergencies on national highways. He also instructed the installation of CCTV cameras and street lighting along all highways leading to Prayagraj, with additional lighting at key points.

Moreover, the CM called for the provision of extra toilets near toll plazas along Mahakumbh routes along with the installation of drinking water facilities, medical assistance posts, and traffic assistance stations on the national highways. He stressed that all highways leading to Prayagraj should be free from potholes to ensure a smooth and pleasant experience for the pilgrims and tourists.

In terms of infrastructure development, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed that the land acquisition process for the construction of new highways should be expedited to ensure that the projects are completed on time. He also urged for the timely completion of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) process related to the construction work. Furthermore, he called for coordinated efforts between agencies to reduce road accidents and improve safety measures on the highways.

The Chief Minister highlighted the need for repairs on several key national highways, including the Lucknow-Gorakhpur, Banda-Kanpur, and Gorakhpur-Varanasi National Highways. In response, Union Minister Shri Nitin Gadkari directed NHAI officials to strengthen these roads. Additionally, the Chief Minister emphasized the importance of strengthening the road from Naugarh in Siddharthnagar district to Tulsipur in Balrampur district, passing through Shohratgarh. The Union Minister agreed with the suggestion and instructed the concerned departmental officials to take necessary action.

Union Minister also directed proposals for ring roads in Aligarh, Devipatan, Jhansi, Mirzapur, and Saharanpur divisions. He also said that bypasses are operational in 53 districts of Uttar Pradesh, with 8 more under construction. He also directed that proposals be developed for constructing bypasses in 10 additional districts: Auraiya, Bulandshahr, Mainpuri, Bahraich, Baghpat, Bhadohi, Sambhal, Kaushambi, Chandauli, and Shravasti.

He further led the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPR) for the Gorakhpur-Shamli and Kanpur-Ghaziabad roads. Additionally, he provided essential suggestions and guidelines aimed at reducing road accidents.

During the meeting, officials discussed several new road projects in Uttar Pradesh, including the strengthening of NH 530B in Bareilly. Instructions were also given for the timely completion of the DPR process for the conversion of the Prayagraj-Dohrighat road from 2 lanes to 4 lanes, the construction of the Barabanki-Jarwal-Bahraich road (NH 927), and the development of the Kabrai-Kanpur corridor.

Officials reported that bids have been received for the Shamli-Gorakhpur corridor and the Aligarh-Moradabad-Bijnor corridor. Bids have also been invited for improving connectivity between Ayodhya (Utraula)-Prayagraj and for the Prayagraj-Varanasi-Ara-Patna corridor. Furthermore, the process of preparing DPRs for the Gazipur-Jamania-Saidraja corridor and the Gorakhpur-Kishangarh-Siliguri corridor is underway.

The meeting was attended by several key officials, including Dayashankar Singh, State Minister of Transport (Independent Charge), Brijesh Singh, Minister of State for Public Works, Manoj Kumar Singh, Chief Secretary, SP Goyal, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister, Ajay Chauhan, Principal Secretary of Public Works, and Anil Garg, Principal Secretary of Irrigation. Other attendees included Anil Kumar, Principal Secretary of Forest, P Guru Prasad, Principal Secretary of Revenue, Amit Singh, Secretary to the Chief Minister, and Awanish Kumar Awasthi, Advisor to the Chief Minister. Senior officials from the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, NHAI, and the Public Works Department also participated in the meeting.

Discussion on new road proposals worth Rs 1.39 lakh crore in Uttar Pradesh, instructions to prepare DPRs soon

In a high-level review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, new road infrastructure projects in Uttar Pradesh were discussed. These projects are part of a larger initiative worth Rs 1.39 lakh crore aimed at improving connectivity across the state.

Key instructions were given to ensure the timely preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for several critical road projects. These include the strengthening of NH 530B in Bareilly, a new bypass in Pratapgarh district, the conversion of the Prayagraj-Dohrighat road from two lanes to four lanes, the construction of the Barabanki-Jarwal-Bahraich road (NH 927), and the Kabrai-Kanpur corridor.

Officials also said that bids have already been received for the Shamli-Gorakhpur corridor and the Aligarh-Moradabad-Bijnor corridor. Additionally, bids have been invited to improve connectivity between Ayodhya (Utraula) and Prayagraj, as well as for the Prayagraj-Varanasi-Ara-Patna corridor. The process of preparing DPRs for the Gorakhpur-Jamania-Syedaraja corridor and the Gorakhpur-Kishangarh-Siliguri corridor is currently underway.