UNNAO: A section of the newly inaugurated Rs 4,200-crore Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Elevated Expressway developed surface slippage just 13 days after its inauguration, prompting criticism on social media and questions over construction quality. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), however, denied claims that the road had caved in, saying only the upper wearing coat over a 40-metre stretch in Unnao’s Korari area was affected. “It cannot be termed a road cave-in. A cave-in means the soil beneath settles and the entire road sinks. Here, there was only slippage in the upper wearing coat,” NHAI project director Nakul Prakash Verma said to news agency PTI. He added that repair work was completed before 5 pm on Sunday and traffic resumed normally. Verma said such issues can occasionally occur on long bituminous roads and are generally uncommon on concrete roads. The clarification came after a video purportedly showing the damaged stretch went viral. The clip was first shared by a local Samajwadi Party worker and later reposted by the party’s media cell, which questioned the quality of construction. Several social media users also raised concerns over the project’s execution and alleged corruption, though these claims have not been verified by any government agency. Verma said there was no proposal to order a separate inquiry, describing the incident as a routine technical issue that was rectified immediately. The 63-km Lucknow-Kanpur Greenfield Elevated Expressway was inaugurated on July 13 by defence minister Rajnath Singh, union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath. The expressway is expected to cut travel time between Lucknow and Kanpur and ease congestion on the existing route.
