U.P. works to achieve Akhilesh’s dream projects before elections

As Uttar Pradesh heads for Assembly elections, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s instructions to his top officials are clear: do not leave his flagship projects incomplete.

Looking to return to power on the plank of development, the Samajwadi Party government hopes to achieve most of the CM’s dream infrastructural projects by October-November, which Mr. Yadav believes will propel his image of a development man.

Top priority

His top priority is the Lucknow Metro — he has promised to get the first phase of the project operational before the elections — followed by the 302-km Lucknow-Agra Expressway, the longest in the country. The 23-km long Phase-1A of the Lucknow Metro is to be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs. 6,928 crore. For the current Budget year, the Samajwadi Party government earmarked Rs 814 crore for the project.

In an interview to The Hindu, state Chief Secretary Alok Ranjan laid out the urgency and the list of projects Mr. Yadav wanted ready before the polls. “We are going to complete most of our projects by October-November. All our projects are getting ready in time, with a focused work culture and regular monitoring,” Mr. Ranjan said. “We do not want to leave any projects incomplete.”

The top bureaucrat in UP said he was monitoring the projects every 15 days, while key ones like the Lucknow Metro and Agra Expressway were being monitored on a weekly basis.

While the trial run of the Lucknow Metro will start by November — which could be possibly be advanced to October — the Lucknow-Agra Expressway is expected to be inaugurated around the same time, “record time,” as Mr. Ranjan put it. “The Lucknow Metro and the Agra Expressway together will boost the economy on both sides of the highway. The scenario will change all over UP,” Mr. Ranjan said.

Considering Mr. Yadav’s emphasis on the Lucknow Metro, Mr. Ranjan, whose term expires this month, is expected to retain control of the project, sources said.