Lucknow: Over 100 major road projects worth over Rs 20,000 crore are under execution across UP.Ranging from four-laning and construction of bypass routes to arterial connectivity corridors and upgrade of roads within the religious towns, several projects are in the final stages of completion.According to the status report placed for review before the CM’s office recently, 114 road projects costing over Rs 50 crore each are under implementation across the state. The projects together account for investments amounting to nearly Rs 20,649 crore, with major infrastructure works concentrated in districts such as Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Ballia, Barabanki, Mathura and Deoria.The report shows that road construction and widening projects form a key component of the state’s efforts to improve regional connectivity, ease traffic movement and enhance access to religious and economic centres. Among the prominent projects nearing completion are road infrastructure works linked to Ayodhya’s religious tourism network, including the Choudah Kosi Parikrama route. . Major road works in Mathura and parts of eastern UP have also crossed advanced stages of execution. While several projects have entered the final stages of completion, land acquisition issues, public works department officials were asked to expedite execution of projects that are getting delayed because of legal issues or pending clearances from other departments. The report identifies land acquisition as one of the biggest reasons behind delays in several districts. Court cases and stay orders are also impacting the progress of certain schemes. Besides, delays in obtaining forest and environmental clearances, tree-felling permissions, utility shifting and approvals from agencies such as the railways have emerged as recurring bottlenecks.Officials have stressed the need for faster resolution of pending issues so that scheduled completion targets can be achieved. The report indicates that while a significant number of projects have already achieved high levels of progress, timely intervention by district administration will be crucial for the completion of delayed ones.With investments running into thousands of crores, the ongoing projects are expected to improve connectivity across both urban and rural regions, reduce travel time and support economic activity in several parts of UP.
