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Ganga Expressway interchange flooded after heavy rain, 50-metre stretch affected
Water accumulated on a 50-metre stretch of an interchange loop in Unnao; authority said a permanent fix being worked out
Ganga Expressway toll booth waterlogging has raised concerns (Special Arrangement)
A 50-metre stretch of an interchange connecting the Ganga Expressway with the old Kanpur road (NH-27) in Unnao was waterlogged following heavy rain, with the Uttar Pradesh Expressways Industrial Development Authority (UPEIDA) attributing the problem to a transmission line that prevented the affected portion from being built at the required height.
Visuals from the interchange near the Bashirat Ganj exit toll plaza showed water accumulated across the carriageway, disrupting the movement of vehicles and pedestrians. Local residents claimed the water was several feet deep, with some also seen catching fish from the flooded stretch.
UPEIDA, however, said the main carriageway of the Ganga Expressway was unaffected and that waterlogging was confined to around 50 metres of one of the four loops at the interchange. The affected loop is used by vehicles entering the expressway from NH-27, a senior UPEIDA official said.
“A transmission line passes through this portion and it could not be shifted, because of which the required clearance was not available and the loop had to be constructed at a lower level. This has resulted in waterlogging after the heavy rainfall,” the official told The Indian Express.
UPEIDA is in discussions with the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) for a permanent solution, the official said. “After the rains, either the transmission line will be shifted or the height of this portion of the loop will be raised. Ideally, around two metres of clearance is required. If the height is raised, this portion can be elevated by around three metres to ensure that the problem does not recur,” he said.
For now, traffic is being diverted through the other three loops and pumps have been deployed to remove the accumulated water. The official said these were temporary measures and a permanent solution would be taken up after consultations with UPPCL.
The waterlogging drew a political response from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who in a post on X on Saturday alleged, “Rivers of BJP corruption are flowing on the Ganga Expressway.” Sharing a video of the inundated stretch, Yadav suggested that the expressway be renamed “Ganga Express Waterway” and described the situation as “utterly condemnable”.
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“This is a golden opportunity for those who like changing names; rename it Ganga Express Waterway,” he wrote in his post.
गंगा एक्सप्रेसवे पर बह रहीं भाजपाई भ्रष्टाचार की नदियाँ।
नाम बदलनेवालों के लिए सुनहरा अवसर, नया नाम रख दें : गंगा एक्सप्रेस वॉटर वे
नीर-निंदनीय! pic.twitter.com/CCqA5iXHa6
— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) September 26, 2026
The 594-km Ganga Expressway was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April this year. The project was built at an estimated cost of around Rs 36,000 crore.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
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