Videos purportedly showing pedestal fans being used to dry a damaged section of Uttar Pradesh's newly inaugurated Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway during repair work have gone viral.
What do the videos show?
The videos show fans kept on the side of a road undergoing repair work. The fans face the damaged stretch, completely soaked from waterlogging.
How did social media react?
Besides triggering outrage, the post has prompted a range of responses from social media users. An individual commented, “Are we rolling back to the Stone Age!!! Marvellous technologies invented by so-called stakeholders.”
Another asked Grok, “Do pedestal fans help in drying the road for patch work as shown in the video or can normal wind do much better drying?” The AI chatbot replied, “Pedestal fans help dry road patches by forcing air over the wet surface, which speeds evaporation of residual rainwater versus still air. Natural wind can match or exceed that if it is strong and steady. The fans mainly provide consistent, targeted airflow to specific spots when ambient breeze is light or uneven, aiding quicker readiness for fresh asphalt bonding.”
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{{/usCountry}}Also Read: 80 days of Delhi–Dehradun E-way: Light rain creates sinkholes in Shamli, videos viral
{{/usCountry}}A third expressed, “Can a domestic fan dry a road?” A fourth wrote, “Is that space technology?”
What did the authorities say?
The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) stated that it has taken “stringent action against the concessionaire, Independent Engineer and concerned officials following the identification of issues on the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway.”
The agency further said that it has also deployed corrective measures to restore the affected stretch. The damage on the expressway disrupted traffic, and it has been diverted.
Until the rectification is completed, toll has been suspended on his expressway.