Fans Used To Fry Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway As Rain Exposes Road Damage; Akhilesh Targets CM Yogi Adityanath Govt

Lucknow: Barely three weeks after its inauguration, the Rs 4,200 crore Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway has come under intense scrutiny after heavy monsoon rains exposed potholes, surface subsidence and cracks at several locations, forcing emergency repairs and triggering a political slugfest in Uttar Pradesh.

The controversy escalated after videos showing workers using large industrial and pedestal fans to dry a waterlogged stretch of the expressway near Begumkheda village in Unnao district went viral on social media. The unusual method, adopted to speed up repair work on rain-soaked pavement, drew widespread criticism and sparked a flood of memes online.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav seized on the episode to attack the Yogi Adityanath government, questioning the quality of construction on a highway that had been opened only weeks earlier.

Sharing the viral video on social media, Yadav said it was astonishing that an expressway inaugurated with much fanfare was already being patched and dried with fans. "This is the new wind of BJP's development," he remarked, alleging that the incident exposed poor workmanship and raised serious concerns over the safety of commuters.

The 63-km access-controlled expressway, inaugurated on July 13, was built to reduce travel time between Lucknow and Kanpur. However, the first signs of trouble emerged on the night of July 26, just 13 days after it was opened to traffic, when sinking, surface slippage and erosion were reported on a stretch in Unnao district following heavy rainfall.

Since then, repair work has been underway at multiple locations. Excavators and other heavy machinery have been deployed to remove damaged sections and reconstruct the pavement. During one such repair operation near kilometre 64, workers were seen using industrial fans to dry the road surface before laying fresh material, visuals that quickly went viral.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated action against the construction company, PNC Infratech, over the defects. Three engineers associated with the project have been removed, while certain site officials have also been replaced.

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NHAI has suspended toll collection on the expressway until repairs are completed and the road is declared fit for traffic. The authority has also decided to seek an independent technical assessment from IIT Kharagpur to determine the reasons behind the premature damage and recommend corrective measures.

The incident has intensified questions over the quality of construction and monitoring of major infrastructure projects in the state. Opposition parties have demanded accountability from both the contractor and officials responsible for supervising the project, arguing that a newly built expressway developing structural defects within weeks of opening raises serious concerns about construction standards and public safety.