LUCKNOW: How does one repair an expressway that is heavily damaged barely days after being inaugurated with much fanfare? Using fans to blow-dry it, of course!That’s what PNC Infratech, the contractor for the Rs 4,200 crore Lucknow-Kanpur expressway, was caught doing after stretches of the country’s first e-way with AI-based traffic management systems caved in.Photographs showing pedestal fans placed along a repair site went viral on social media, drawing flak and jibes. The images showed about a dozen fans positioned near a damaged stretch of the Unnao-Lucknow-bound carriageway.The section required filling of the sub-base course along with binding material before the surface could be treated with bitumen and asphalt. Persistent wet conditions have delayed the process, and fresh cracks have reportedly begun appearing around the repaired area.With intermittent rains slowing down the work, sources said staff engaged by PNC Infratech deployed the fans on Wednesday morning to speed up drying at the 300-metre stretch under restoration.The damaged stretch has affected traffic flow on the high-speed corridor, which was opened to the public on July 13.With diversions in place due to the ongoing work, vehicles travelling on both sides have been using the same carriageway for roughly 6 km, worsening congestion and slowing movement during peak hours.Officials said the contractor is working under pressure after NHAI set a deadline of Friday morning to restore the stretch.It has directed the company to repair the entire affected stretch at its own cost and has exempted expressway users from paying fees during the disruption. NHAI earlier initiated proceedings to declare PNC Infratech a non-performing company and imposed a penalty.Sources said the fans were initially brought in to dry the construction material and were later positioned along the repair site.Officials added that tarpaulin sheets, air-drying machines and high-intensity pavement cleaning equipment have also remained deployed at the site for the past five to six days.
