With various crippling issues pertaining to the construction of National Highway (NH)-24 between Sitapur and Bareilly finally being settled, motorists/passengers going to New Delhi via Sitapur-Shahjahenpur-Bareilly would get the much-awaited relief as the project would be completed by June next year.
Besides, the National Highway Authority (NHAI) would also take some new NH projects linking Aligarh-Kanpur, Hapur-Moradabad, Meerut-Bijnore-Najibabad etc by the end of this year.
“Problems particularly over acquisition of land on Sitapur-Bareilly highway has now been cleared and we hope to complete 75 per cent (123 kilometers) of work by January next and the remaining 34 kms by June 2018,” said Regional Manager of NHAI (UP West) lt Col Chandan Vatsa.
Talking to media persons in lucknow on Wednesday, Vatsa claimed that the Aiuthority would also take up some new projects like Aligarh-Kanpur (NH-91, 274 KMs involving Rs 6000 crore), Hapur-Moradabad (from 4 lane to 6 lane on 99 Kms involving Rs 1800 crore), Meerut-Bijnore-Naziabad (NH-119 of 98 KMs involving Rs 1700 crore) and Meerut-Bulundshahr (62 KMs involving Rs 864 crore).
He said that all this projects will be allotted and work is likely to start in December this year or by January next year.
Meanwhile, the RegionalManager also informed that to spread the message of cleanliness and inspire people to undertake plantation in a big way for their own future and that of their children, NHAI (UP West) under his leadership took out a 700 -km cycle rally from lucknow to Ghaziabad to celebrate Rs Swachhta Pakhwara’.
Vats claimed that they chose to ride cycles as it had greater visibility and was the most preferred mode of transportation in rural areas among the poor. The rally started from lucknow on July 23 and passing through Sitapur – Shahjanpur – Bareilly – Moradabad – Aligarh – Bulandshahr – Greater NOIDA- NOIDA- Dwarka, it reached New Delhi.
Vatsa disclosed that along the route, the rally members interacted with numerous schools/ colleges students, rural & urban bodies/ people’s representatives/ government officials etc and aimed to secure their participation for both cleanliness as well as plantation initiatives.
At least a dozen schools/ colleges were visited and about 40 public meetings at different locations along the route were organized where intensive interactions/ choupals were held. Interactions were followed by cleanliness activities and planting of trees with the help of students and local residents only so as to help them develop a interest in keeping the area clean and enable them have a feeling of ownership about trees/ saplings thus planted.
He said that that NHAI (UP-West) has already planted over 40,000 saplings and fixed a target of 90,000 till the end of monsoons. Besides, the rally also aimed to highlight the importance of such activities and the need to follow them with utmost diligence to own officers, contractors, concessionaires, consultants etc.