Prioritize major roads for pothole-free work before upcoming festivals: CM Yogi Adityanath
681 important routes identified for upcoming festivals, to be made pothole-free on priority basis
Take up roads near educational institutions, hospitals and major markets on priority and immediately begin repair work: CM
CM reviews nearly 4.36 lakh km of roads under 09 departments, work underway to achieve target of making 50 thousand km pothole-free
Lucknow, September 2026 : Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed that roads damaged by rain and floods be repaired immediately and made motorable and that their renewal be undertaken as required after the monsoon. During a review meeting of the Public Works Department on Friday, he stated, "The rains are continuing; therefore, the condition of roads should be continuously monitored and a survey should also be conducted of roads newly damaged due to rain."
Chief Minister stated, "A large number of people will travel during the upcoming festivals. Therefore, there should be no difficulty whatsoever in movement on major roads." He directed that necessary repair and renewal works be completed before the festivals. CM made it clear, "The work of making roads pothole-free should not remain limited to patchwork. Wherever a road is currently in a poor condition, it should be made motorable now and, after the monsoon ends, permanent renewal should be undertaken as required."
It was informed at the meeting that, besides excessive rainfall, several roads have also been damaged by heavy vehicle movement due to ongoing construction projects on expressways, national highways, railways, and others. The department is conducting surveys of these routes. Based on the survey, the department will identify damaged roads and set department-wise targets to make them pothole-free.
In view of the upcoming festivals, the state has identified 681 important routes. These include routes witnessing higher movement during major festivals such as Ganesh Chaturthi, Vishwakarma Puja, Navratri, Diwali, Chhath Puja and Kartik Purnima. Preparations are underway to keep these routes in better condition on a priority basis.
Chief Minister also sought information from officials of the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways about their action plan. At the same time, the Mandi Parishad, Panchayati Raj, Irrigation, Rural Development, Urban Development, Housing and Urban Planning, and Infrastructure and Industrial Development departments reviewed their action plans. He emphasized the need for all concerned departments to work with better coordination.
The department's presentation stated that roads under 09 departments have been included in the pothole-free campaign. These departments have around 4.36 lakh kilometers of roads under their jurisdiction. Under the current target, around 50 thousand kilometers of roads are to be made pothole-free, and work on around 5,751 kilometers has been completed so far. The department will finalize targets after surveying damaged routes.
The department also reviewed works related to renewal and special repairs. According to the department, a target of around 30 thousand kilometers has been set for renewal and around 5 thousand kilometers for special repairs. So far, progress of around 14 thousand kilometers in renewal and around 700 kilometers in special repairs has been reported.
CM stated, "Roads are directly connected with the everyday life of common people. Roads near educational institutions, hospitals, main markets, government offices, and other places with heavy public movement should be taken up on priority. Immediate work should be started on these routes and wherever repairs are required, the road should be made motorable without delay." He added, "Along with expediting the work, full attention should also be paid to quality."
Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh, Industrial Development Minister Nand Gopal Gupta 'Nandi', Panchayati Raj Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar, Minister of State for Public Works Department Brajesh Singh, Minister of State for Industrial Development Department Jaswant Singh Saini, Minister of State for Jal Shakti Ramkesh Nishad and Minister of State for Rural Development Vijay Lakshmi Gautam were present at the meeting.
