Blow-Dry Highway? Pedestal Fans Deployed on Damaged Rs 4,200 Cr Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway | WATCH

Lucknow: In a bizarre turn of events, high-powered pedestal fans have been deployed along the newly opened Rs 4,200 Crore Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway to dry fresh patchwork after multiple sections sank and developed major cracks barely a fortnight after its grand inauguration.

A video showing at least 10 electric pedestal fans running 24/7 on the side of the highway near the 64-kilometre mark in Unnao has gone viral on social media, sparking widespread outrage, political banter, and questions over infrastructure quality.

The controversy follows a severe 300-meter road slippage and caving-in near the Korari area caused by recent heavy monsoonal rainfall. 

Officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) explained that continuous downpours allowed rainwater to seep deep into the sub-layers beneath the pavement, weakening the soil structure and triggering the roadbed to slide.

To execute emergency repairs and lay down new asphalt, construction crews needed the underlying soil and fresh patchwork to dry completely. 

However, persistent rain and high humidity severely delayed natural evaporation. In response, the repair agency brought in electric pedestal fans lined up along the shoulder to blow air across the damp surface and accelerate the drying process.

Visuals of standing fans operating alongside heavy machinery and passing highway traffic quickly made waves across social media platforms like X.

Critics mocked the makeshift solution as emblematic of "hasty construction," while commuters expressed serious safety concerns over driving through single-carriageway diversions right next to active repair zones.

Opposition leaders aimed at the state government and infrastructure authorities, citing the incident as evidence of poor quality control on high-profile expressway projects.

Meanwhile, NHAI officials confirmed that strict action is being taken against the primary contractor responsible for the construction and that a comprehensive inquiry into the roadbed failure is underway. 

Until full repairs are completed, vehicles travelling between Kanpur and Lucknow continue to be routed through a single lane, causing heavy traffic snarls along the stretch.

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