Why Yogi govt took away key expressways body from minister Nand Gopal & brought it under CMO’s control
In Uttar Pradesh, the Infrastructure Development Department is responsible for policy formulation and coordination of large infrastructure projects executed through the public sector, private sector, or public-private partnership (PPP) models.
By bringing the UPEIDA under this department, the government aims to streamline decision-making and project execution.
ThePrint reached out to Nandi through calls and messages for a reaction, but there was no response. The report will be updated if and when he responds.
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What the order says
According to the government order, the change is aimed at eliminating contradictions in the allocation of work and ensuring quicker disposal of files.
Until now, UPEIDA project concerning, budgets and approvals were processed through the Industrial Development Department and required clearance at multiple levels before reaching the chief minister.
Under the new arrangement, they will be routed directly through the Chief Minister’s Office, a move officials believe will speed up approvals and reduce delays in implementation.
Functionaries in the CMO argue that expressway projects are among the most visible symbols of Uttar Pradesh’s development agenda and, therefore, require closer monitoring.
Senior officials associated with these projects already had direct access to the chief minister, and bringing the UPEIDA under the infrastructure department is intended to ensure faster execution of strategic infrastructure initiatives.
The move is expected to strengthen direct oversight of expressway projects by the CMO and highlights the government’s emphasis on infrastructure as a central pillar of its development strategy.
A senior government functionary claimed that some “senior officials were not comfortable with the minister, who had a habit of putting questions on every file. So the CM made the decision in favour of speeding up the development work. There is nothing wrong with it”.
Tensions between minister & officers
The decision has also triggered speculation about underlying tensions between the minister and sections of officers.
Sources in the Industrial Development Department said a disagreement between Nandi and Additional Chief Secretary Alok Kumar on recent transfers might have contributed to the development.
The dispute reportedly reached the chief minister’s level. Questions were also raised regarding appointments and deputations of officers within the UPEIDA, leading many observers to view the latest administrative change in that context.
The dispute between Nandi and his department’s civil servants is not new.
Last year, the minister wrote to the chief minister, alleging that senior officials were ignoring ministerial directions and extending undue benefits to what he described as favoured individuals.
Nandi also accused senior officials of taking decisions independently, bypassing established policies and procedures, and even allowing official files and records to go missing.
According to sources, tensions between Nandi and the UPEIDA leadership date back to the tenure of Manoj Kumar Singh, who currently heads the State Transformation Commission. Singh, considered close to the chief minister, previously served as UPEIDA’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
Sources said differences persisted even after Singh’s retirement and the appointment of Deepak Kumar as the authority’s new CEO.
According to officials familiar with the developments, Nandi’s relationship with senior civil servants overseeing key infrastructure projects did not improve, and this may have been among the factors that influenced the decision to shift UPEIDA’s administrative control.
In the past, such disputes rarely led to any significant repercussions.
The state government has frequently faced criticism from opposition parties and even within its own ranks for allegedly concentrating excessive power in the hands of civil servatns.
Ministers and MLAs have often complained that officers ignored elected representatives, and several such confrontations have surfaced during both terms of the Yogi Adityanath government.
In 2022, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak publicly expressed dissatisfaction with officials in his own department and wrote formal letters complaining about their functioning. At one stage, he reportedly conveyed his displeasure by awarding a poor rating to an officer during an official performance assessment.
Another major controversy erupted the same year when Minister of State for Jal Shakti Dinesh Khatik wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah offering to resign.
Khatik alleged that officials were ignoring him because he belonged to a Dalit community and claimed that he was not even invited to key departmental meetings.
The episode triggered a political storm, prompting Yogi Adityanath to direct that all ministers of state be assigned specific departmental responsibilities. The matter subsided only after the BJP leadership’s intervention.
Since then, letters from at least nine ministers have allegedly leaked, with many raising concerns about the alleged indifference of officers or criticising their working style.
The state government issued at least 15 reminders to civil servants, directing them to maintain proper conduct and show due respect to public representatives.
Several ministers have also privately complained about what they described as excessive intervention by the Chief Minister’s Office in the functioning of their departments, a concern that has persisted through both terms of the government.
(Edited by Sugita Katyal)
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