In order to strengthen the infrastructure and improve connectivity in Uttar Pradesh, the Yogi Adityanath government has done extensive work over the past six and a half years on the widening, strengthening and reconstruction of roads in villages, tehsils, block headquarters, international/interstate borders, sugar mill and industrial areas as well as roads falling under ‘Dharmarth’ project.

The government has laid a network of roads spanning over 5,000 kilometres across the state during this period. The Yogi government has allocated a substantial amount of around Rs 9,000 crore to complete the road works.

After assuming power in the state in 2017, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to strengthen the connectivity within the state. The government instructed the PWD to connect 26 tehsil headquarters and 153 block headquarters with two-lane roads. Subsequently, Rs 2,653 crore was allocated for works on 1,617 kilometres of roads.

The department has so far connected 26 tehsil headquarters and 131 block headquarters with two-lane roads, while the work to connect the remaining 22 block headquarters with two lanes is progressing rapidly. Among these, 16 block headquarters have completed 99 per cent of the work, three block headquarters have completed 74 per cent, two block headquarters have completed 24 per cent, and one block headquarters has completed 49 per cent of the works.

Additionally, the PWD has proposed Rs 174 crore for a 48-kilometre road to connect the remaining one tehsil and 10 block headquarters with two-lane roads.

Similarly, for the development of routes passing through 25 cities along the international/interstate borders, 94 routes have been approved. An amount of Rs 2,171 crore has been allocated for the development of 1,126 kilometres of roads on these routes. Of these, work on 81 routes has been completed, while it is underway on 13 routes. Among these, six routes have completed 99 per cent of the work and seven routes have completed 24 per cent of the work.

Notably, 1,928 works were approved to connect villages with a population of more than 250 to the main road (a distance less than .5 kilometre). Accordingly, a fund of Rs 1,679 crore was allocated for works on 2,107 kilometres of road. Among these, 563 works have been completed. Additionally, proposals have been submitted to connect 1,087 unconnected villages to the main roads.

Similarly, 1,074 works have been identified for the reconstruction and strengthening of roads in the sugar mill areas of the state. A proposal of Rs 384 crore has been sent for 1,127 kilometres of roads. Work on these projects will commence as soon as they receive approval from the government.

In the second phase, Rs 200 crore will be spent on 626 routes. Works for widening, strengthening and construction of roads for industrial/logistic parks have been approved. Work is underway on a 9.6 kilometre road with a budget of Rs 139 crore.

The PWD has received a proposal of Rs 1,922 crore from the Industrial Development Department for carrying out 21 works related to industrial development. Similarly, under the ‘Dharmarth’ project, 36 works for the widening, strengthening and construction of roads have been approved, where work on a 174-kilometre road with a budget of Rs 2,316 crore is in progress.