Inherited 1.22L kilometers of potholed roads from past regime: Adityanath

Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi party governments left Uttar Pradesh with 1.22 lakh kilometers of roads full of potholes, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the inauguration of an infrastructure project and foundation laying ceremony here, Adityanath said, "When we came to power about 16 months ago, there was around 1.22 lakh kilometer of roads having potholes, symbolising sins of the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samajwadi Party. These potholes of misdeeds created a hindrance for development. Now, under the leadership of Keshav Prasad Maurya, Public Works Department (PWD) has made 1.20 lakh kilometer roads pothole free."

He also touched upon one of the major concerns of western Uttar Pradesh farmers- sugarcane production and payment- and said, "Uttar Pradesh is moving forward with complete dedication to reach newer heights of development. Previous governments were not providing electricity to Baghpat region. This year we have made payment of 26,000 crores to sugarcane farmers directly into their account and we have brought scheme for 10,000 crores pending amount."

Adityanath further claimed that under his government, extortion and acid-attacks had been curbed, and anti-social elements were arrested.

"We are providing security to all residents of the society without any discrimination. Nobody had imagined that four-lane road will come up at such places. Ministry of Transport and Highways has gone to new heights under the leadership of Nitin Gadkari," he added.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari, who was also present at the event, highlighted the importance of electrification of Indian villages, and said, "It is important that every village must get electricity. There must be a connectivity of road. Our country is changing and our villages are changing. The income of our farmers is also increasing. With the usage of science, we can also work on increasing the production of sugarcane. Today farmers require innovation, technology, and research."

Gadkari, Adityanath and other officials laid the foundation stone for the construction of two segments of the Delhi-Saharanpur National Highway at a cost of Rs. 1505.72 crore.

As part of the project, Rs 726.33 crore will be spent for widening the 61 km stretch between Shamli and Baghpat, while Rs. 779.39 crore will be spent for the second section from Saharanpur to Shamli.