NHAI refutes Akhilesh claim that Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway caved in before opening

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged that the Rs 4,700 crore Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway, which is scheduled to be inaugurated the next day, had caved in before its opening.

The National Highways Authority of India has rejected the claim, stating that the expressway is constructed in accordance with all the prescribed quality standards and is completely safe, while the BJP accused Yadav of making baseless statements on development projects to stay relevant.

According to the official announcement, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath are scheduled to inaugurate the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway from Unnao at 3 pm on Monday.

In an X post on Sunday, Yadav attacked the BJP over the condition of major expressway projects, alleging corruption in their construction and questioning their safety and design.

Expressways are meant to enable people to travel quickly and without worry, and “not to spend the entire journey praying to God”, he said in the post.

He further alleged that the Rs 4,700-crore Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway had caved in before its inauguration. He also cited the Rs 6,700-crore Missing Link project in Maharashtra, claiming that its condition has exposed corruption and brought disrepute to the BJP government.

“Is there a competition of mega corruption in BJP-ruled states?” Yadav asked, while also taking a swipe at the designers of the two projects.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister asked whether the Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway was designed for public convenience or to benefit contractors linked to the BJP.

He claimed that commuters would spend more time entering the city from the Expressway than travelling between the two cities.

“If this continues because of corruption, a traveller will think 40 times before setting out on a 40-minute journey. Speed has no meaning if it is not safe,” he said.

Reacting to Yadav’s allegations, the National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) Project Director, Nakul Prakash Verma, asserted that there was no subsidence anywhere on the project.

“Where has it caved in? It has not caved in anywhere,” Verma said, adding that the Expressway would be opened to the public from 8 am on July 14.

“Once the Expressway is opened, the truth will become evident. If I am wrong, the public itself will expose it,” he said.

Verma said the photographs of subsidence being circulated on social media were not of the main carriageway but of the roadside earthen embankment, describing it as a routine maintenance matter.

“When it rains, some soil gets washed away, and fresh soil is filled in again. This is called a ‘rain cut’, and it is common on highways. A road caving in is a different issue, while erosion of roadside soil is entirely different,” he explained, assuring that the erosion had not affected the structural integrity of the Expressway or the safety of traffic.

According to Verma, the affected portion has already been repaired, and all necessary technical works will be completed before the Expressway is inaugurated.

He asserted that the Expressway is completely safe and has been constructed in accordance with all prescribed quality standards.

The BJP too has reacted to the Samajwadi Party chief’s claim. BJP’s Unnao district president, Anurag Awasthi, dismissed the allegations as baseless, stating that the opposition was making unnecessary statements over development projects.

“Those who are frustrated and mentally weak, and those who do not like development, are making such statements to remain politically relevant and to reach out to people ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections,” Awasthi said.

If there were any minor technical issues related to the construction, the agency concerned would rectify them, he said, adding that allegations made before the inauguration of the Expressway were “motivated by malice.”