First monsoon rain washes away portion of Ganga Expressway link road in UP's Unnao

Unnao (UP), Jul 5 (PTI) A portion of the road connecting the Kanpur-Lucknow National Highway with the Ganga Expressway in Unnao district was caved in after the first monsoon rain, with the washing away of the underlying soil. According to officials on Sunday, the caving of a nearly seven-metre stretch of the link road near Bashiratganj in the Sonik area -- where it connects to the Ganga Expressway -- prompted repair work. Residents alleged that adequate slope protection and soil-retention measures had not been provided along the road in accordance with prescribed standards, resulting in the collapse during the first monsoon rain. Questioning the quality of construction, the locals claimed that concerns over the road's stability had been raised during the construction phase but were not adequately addressed. According to the locals, when journalists visited the site on Friday evening to photograph the damaged stretch, personnel of the executing agency allegedly tried to prevent them from taking pictures, saying that photography on the expressway was not permitted. The officials said similar issues, including road subsidence, soil erosion and damaged railings, had been reported earlier on the Sonik service lane and the main carriageway before the expressway became operational. No official statement was immediately issued by the administration. Sadar Sub-Divisional Magistrate Kshitij Dwivedi said the entire project falls under the jurisdiction of the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA), and any inquiry or further action would have to be initiated by the agency. The 594-km Ganga Expressway, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29 this year, stretches from Bijauli village in Meerut district to Judapur Dandu village in Prayagraj district. Developed by UPEIDA, the access-controlled expressway is designed to improve connectivity across western and central Uttar Pradesh, passing through 12 districts, and is among the state's flagship infrastructure projects. PTI COR CDN SHS