Potholes on Bundelkhand expressway a week after opening by PM

A portion of the Bundelkhand expressway developed deep potholes due to heavy rains in Jalaun, within a week of Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the 296-km-long road.

The portion of the road developed one-and-a-half-foot-deep potholes due to rains at Chiriya Salempur in Uttar Pradesh's Jalaun district on Wednesday night, said UP Expressway Industrial Authority spokesperson Durgesh Upadhyay.

The potholes were repaired instantly and the road opened to traffic, he added.

The authority deployed a team with bulldozers and necessary equipment to repair the stretch.

When contacted by PTI, District Magistrate Chandani Singh did not respond to calls.

The incident drew criticism, with Bharatiya Janata Party MP Varun Gandhi questioning the quality of the construction work and seeking action against officials and the companies concerned.

The incident also gave ammunition to the opposition Samajwadi Party and the Congress to attack the government.

Varun Gandhi in a Hindi tweet said, 'If the expressway built at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore cannot withstand even five days of rain, then serious questions rise on its quality.'

'The head of the project, the engineer concerned and responsible companies should be summoned and action be taken against them,' he added.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav in a Hindi tweet said, 'This is a sample of the quality of the BJP's half-finished development. The Bundelkhand expressway was inaugurated by big people and within a week huge pits of corruption came out on it. It is good that the runway was not built on it.'

'The caving-in of the Bundelkhand expressway just days after its inauguration proves corruption of the double engine BJP government in the construction of the road. The CM should apologise for endangering lives of people by inaugurating half-finished Bundelkhand expressway,' the Samajwadi Party said in a Hindi tweet and also tagged a video.

The UP Congress also targeted the BJP government on Twitter, saying the government had promised pothole-free roads.

The development has taken a hit after four days of inauguration of the Bundelkhand expressway, it said.

On the day of inauguration of the Bundelkhand expressway, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav had attacked the Yogi Adityanath government alleging corruption in the 'half-finished' project.

PM Modi had inaugurated the 296-km-long expressway on July 16.