First crater, now cracks: Fresh damage on UP's Rs 36,000-crore Ganga Expressway
First crater, now cracks: Fresh damage on UP's Rs 36,000-crore Ganga Expressway
M.U.H
27/08/202661
Fresh cracks have surfaced on patchwork carried out on Uttar Pradesh’s Ganga Expressway, just about a week after a 10-metre-deep crater opened up on another stretch of the Rs 36,230-crore highway following heavy rain.
The latest damage was reported on a section near Unnao, where soil settlement and erosion had earlier been reported.
The damaged stretch was subsequently repaired, with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) carrying out patchwork.
The latest damage has drawn a sharp political response from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
“Beware your life is in danger!” Yadav said in a post, referring to the cracks on the expressway.
“These countless cracks on the ‘Ganga Expressway’ that look like the river's currents are bearing witness to the BJP's corruption,” he said, adding that the "BJP's corruption is deadly.”
The emergence of cracks in the repaired section has raised fresh concerns about the durability of the expressway, particularly its ability to withstand heavy rainfall.
On August 18, a massive crater opened up near kilometre 421 on the Meerut-Prayagraj carriageway. A portion of the road and adjoining embankment was reportedly washed away following heavy rain.
The 594-km, six-lane, access-controlled expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 29. It connects Meerut with Prayagraj and passes through 12 districts of Uttar Pradesh.
The expressway was built to cut travel time between Meerut and Prayagraj from around 12 hours to about six hours and was projected as a major infrastructure corridor for the state.
However, the project has faced reports of damage at multiple locations following its inauguration.
In July, a seven-metre approach road connecting the expressway to the Sonic toll plaza in Unnao was damaged after heavy rain, with soil erosion reported along the embankment and part of the carriageway collapsing. Repair and patchwork were subsequently carried out.
The August 18 crater further intensified scrutiny of the project’s construction and drainage arrangements, particularly in areas vulnerable to heavy rainfall.
