Archive · 6 Aug 2026
Giant fans dry damaged Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway; Akhilesh Yadav mocks BJP
A brand-new highway in India called the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway got damaged very quickly after it opened.
The 63-kilometre road was officially opened on July 13 by top government leaders.
Soon after, heavy rain made parts of the road sink, crack and become slippery.
Workers used giant fans, like huge hair dryers for a road, to dry a wet section before repairing it.
A video of the fans drying the road went viral, and many people were surprised and made jokes about it.
People wondered why such an expensive new road, which cost about 4,200 crore rupees, already needed repairs.
A politician named Akhilesh Yadav joked on social media that this showed 'BJP-style progress' and said the road was already crumbling.
Drivers complained that they had to pay tolls even though part of the road was closed, so officials stopped collecting tolls until the road is fixed and safe.
The company that built the road got a warning, some engineers were removed, and it must pay for the repairs.
Giant industrial fans were deployed to dry a waterlogged stretch of the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway, with viral videos of the unusual repair method sparking widespread debate and memes.
The Rs 4,200-crore, 63-km, six-lane expressway, inaugurated on July 13, developed 'surface slippage', potholes, subsidence and cracks within weeks, first reported near Km 64 in Unnao on the night of July 26.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav mocked the repairs on X as the 'new wind of BJP-style progress', questioning construction quality and whether the 'Atal Progress Way' scheme will actually be built.
Commuters complained of being forced to drive on the wrong side and of paying tolls without warning about the disruption; NHAI later suspended toll collection until the road is declared fit.
NHAI issued a notice to contractor PNC Infratech, removed three engineers, and plans an independent technical assessment from IIT Kharagpur; the firm will bear the estimated Rs 3 crore repair cost.
- Who
- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), contractor PNC Infratech and Uttar Pradesh authorities; the expressway was inaugurated by defence minister Rajnath Singh, Union minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Adityanath, and criticised by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.
- What
- A rain-damaged stretch of the new Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway was dried with giant industrial fans during emergency repairs after developing 'surface slippage', cracks and subsidence within weeks of opening, triggering a political row and NHAI action against the contractor.
- When
- Weeks after the July 13 inauguration; the first problems were reported on the night of July 26, just 13 days after the road opened to traffic.
- Where
- The Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway in Uttar Pradesh, on a stretch near Km 64 at Begumkheda village in Unnao district.
- Why
- Heavy monsoon rain left sections waterlogged and caused surface slippage, subsidence and erosion, raising questions about the expressway's drainage and construction quality.
Critics, Opposition and Commuters
Officials, NHAI and Contractor
Cause of the damage
Critics, Opposition and Commuters
Opposition parties and online critics say a road inaugurated only weeks earlier should not already show potholes, cracks and subsidence, questioning the expressway's drainage and construction quality; Congress Kerala even joked that global warming could be the reason.
Officials, NHAI and Contractor
NHAI described the problem as 'surface slippage' on a stretch near Km 64 in Unnao following heavy rainfall and said it will seek an independent technical assessment from IIT Kharagpur to determine the reasons for the premature damage.
Political accountability
Critics, Opposition and Commuters
Akhilesh Yadav blamed the BJP-led Yogi Adityanath government, calling the repairs the 'new wind of BJP-style progress' and questioning whether the 'Atal Progress Way' scheme will ever be built; other opposition parties demanded accountability from the contractor and supervising officials.
Officials, NHAI and Contractor
Authorities issued a notice to contractor PNC Infratech over alleged lapses, removed three engineers and replaced site officials, suspended toll collection, and made the firm bear the estimated Rs 3 crore repair cost.
Repair method
Critics, Opposition and Commuters
Critics found the sight of giant fans drying a waterlogged road laughable and a sign of crumbling infrastructure, with the videos triggering a flood of memes online.
Officials, NHAI and Contractor
Workers and officials said the fans were used to speed up moisture removal and drying of the rain-soaked pavement before relaying fresh material, with excavators deployed to remove and reconstruct damaged sections.
- Expressway
- Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway (also called Lucknow-Kanpur Expressway)
- Length and type
- 63 km, six-lane, access-controlled
- Construction cost
- Rs 4,200 crore (about Rs 67 crore per km)
- Inauguration
- July 13, by Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari and Adityanath
- Damage
- Surface slippage, potholes, subsidence and cracks near Km 64 in Unnao; first reported on the night of July 26
- Contractor action and repair cost
- Notice issued to PNC Infratech; three engineers removed; firm to bear estimated Rs 3 crore repair cost
- Toll collection
- Suspended by NHAI until repairs are completed and the road is declared fit
- Technical probe
- Independent assessment to be sought from IIT Kharagpur
