Lucknow ; PWD earmarks Rs 56 cr to revamp roads in sugarcane belt
The Public Works Department (PWD) in Uttar Pradesh has allocated ₹56 crore to repair roads in sugarcane-rich areas, particularly in western UP, where heavy traffic from tractor-trolleys and trucks has damaged the infrastructure. The Saharanpur division, along with districts in Moradabad and Gorakhpur divisions, will see improvements. A total of 112 km of roads will be upgraded, addressing safety and traffic concerns.
Lucknow: Commuting on the battered roads in the sugarcane-rich areas of the state is set to improve, as the public works department (PWD) has allocated Rs 56 crore to strengthen and repair roads damaged by the frequent movement of tractor-trolleys and trucks loaded with sugarcane. While most of the upgrades will take place in western UP, with a significant portion of the funds earmarked for the Saharanpur division, districts in the Moradabad and Gorakhpur divisions will also benefit.
In total, around 112 km of road stretches will be upgraded. To facilitate the movement of sugarcane to mills and marketing yards, the state’s sugar industry and cane development department has constructed approximately 8,058 km of roads since 1972. However, over the decades, due to a lack of funds, reconstruction and repairs of these roads could not take place in many areas. “Reconstruction of all types of roads should be done within the scheduled time period. The cane development department used to undertake this every seven years. However, for the past decade, their maintenance works seem to have been neglected,” said a senior officer from PWD. Taking note of the growing number of accidents and frequent bottlenecks on these road stretches, local representatives urged the govt to address the problems faced by the affected population. Intervening in the matter, the chief minister’s office directed the PWD to conduct an exhaustive assessment of these roads and begin maintenance work after the monsoon season. Over time, traffic on these roads has significantly increased, leading to a rise in road accidents.
Since August, senior PWD officials have been gathering proposals from field staff to start work once the monsoon has withdrawn. A senior officer from the department said that 83 road repair projects had been prioritised, with 53 set to be executed in Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, and Shamli districts, with an overall budget of Rs 34 crore. Similarly, in Amroha, Rampur, and Bijnor, 23 road stretches would be repaired, and in Maharajganj and Kushinagar, seven projects would be initiated in the coming months, he said.
