Fatal accidents increasing on Agra-Lucknow Expressway
Agra, May 20: Speed craze without discipline is proving a major killer on Uttar Pradesh's two expressways. While the Yamuna Expressway has taken nearly a thousand lives since 2012, the Agra-Lucknow Expressway has recorded over 100 deaths.
With nearly seven lakh vehicles using the new Agra-Lucknow Expressway, reducing travel time to just five hours, the authorities have failed to come up with a fool-proof mechanism to check speeding.
According to an RTI filed by K.C. Jain, Secretary of the Agra Development Foundation, "in nine months, there were 853 accidents and 100 deaths".
It is estimated that within a year, one crore vehicles will start using the expressway, remitting Rs 200 crore as toll tax.
The 302-km Agra-Lucknow Expressway, a project of the Akhilesh Yadav government, was opened on December 23, 2016. Toll tax was imposed from January 19, 2018.
While the Expressway is becoming popular, the departments concerned have not yet provided policing or ambulance facilities.
"Petrol pump, car mechanics or puncture shops are non-existent. It is one long desolate grey strip through a never ending wasteland," said a frequent user of the expressway, Sudhier Gupta.
Originally the Agra-Lucknow Expressway was designed for a maximum speed of 120 km per hour with automatic traffic management systems aimed at reducing road accidents.
The six-lane expressway, expandable to eight lanes, includes four rail over bridges, 13 major bridges, 57 minor bridges, 74 vehicular underpasses, 148 pedestrian underpasses and nine flyovers.
The road was built in a record time of 23 months at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore. The expressway spans 10 districts, 236 villages and 3,500 hectares of land.
It connects Agra and Lucknow via Shikohabad, Firozabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Auraiya, Kannauj, Kanpur Nagar, Unnao and Hardoi. It passes through four National and two state highways and over five rivers (Ganga, Yamuna, Isan, Sai and Kalyani).
The state government had promised that the expressway would have a series of development centres, agricultural mandis, schools, ITIs, rest houses, petrol pumps, service centres and public amenities. But till date there has been no progress in this direction.
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Ministers' absence in assembly undermines govt's dignity, says Speaker UT Khader
Bengaluru, Mar 18 (PTI): Karnataka Assembly Speaker U T Khader on Tuesday criticised the absence of ministers in the House, saying it undermines the dignity of the government.
He sought to know why ministers choose to hold their positions if they cannot come to the Assembly sessions and take part in the discussions on time.
Responding to opposition BJP's criticism of the government, he said most ministers were absent in the Assembly, other than a few.
"... The ministers should be present in the House, no one can tolerate their absence. Ministers are bringing down the dignity of this government. By not coming to the House on time, ministers are causing disrespect to the government, despite good works," he said from the Chair.
Pointing out that no minister other than Krishna Byre Gowda was present in the House on Monday evening, he said his presence facilitated some legislative business.
"Why become a minister when they don't like to come to the House on time? Send someone who can come (on time as Ministers). They want to become ministers, but they can't answer or stand on behalf of the government in the Assembly, what should be done?" he wondered.
The Speaker remarked that opposition criticism on the issue cannot be dismissed.
When Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil arrived in the House, Khader said, "When the Chief Minister is present in the House, all Ministers come, it is not required, as the Chief Minister can manage things. They (ministers) should come, when the CM is not there. What is the use of (ministers) coming when he (CM) is here, and leaving when he is not there."
Earlier, as Leader of Opposition R Ashoka initiated a discussion on the law and order situation in the state, BJP MLA Sunil Kumar criticised the government by pointing at the empty treasury benches.
"Who is there in the House to question this government? The law and order situation is the state is orphaned just as this House has been abandoned by this government and its ministers. There is no one to question, the Speaker has to come forward and protect us, you (Speaker) should not become helpless from the Chair," he said.
Despite the Speaker's attempts to persuade him, Kumar said, "We have been sitting here since the quorum bell rang at 9.45 am for the proceedings to begin. We were here till 10 pm yesterday. The Speaker should not struggle if ministers don't come to the House on time."
Kumar was joined by other BJP legislators in demanding that the House be adjourned for some time. They asked how the Chair could carry on with the proceedings of the House in the absence of the Ministers.
Kumar said Ashoka was present in the House till 10.15 pm last night and again returned at 9:45 am today. He questioned the seriousness of the ruling party members when the LoP was discussing the issue of law and order.
When Minister Krishna Byre Gowda tried to defend the government, the Speaker retorted, "You are here, where are others?"
The speaker's comments were welcomed by Ashoka and other opposition members for holding the government accountable.
Later, when the House met post lunch, Sunil Kumar, again pointed to the empty treasury benches and said the government and ministers seem to have not learnt a lesson.
Leader of Opposition Ashoka said let the House be adjourned till the ministers come and requested the Speaker to direct the government's chief whip to ensure that ministers are present or remove him from the post.
In response, Chief Whip Ashok Pattan said, he was ready to resign. "I telephoned them (Ministers) and was told that they will come in some time..."
Speaker Khader then adjourned the House for some time.
