Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Jawed Usmani last week ordered the setting up of State Highways Development Programme on the lines of the National Highway Development Programme.
 
 Asking the officials concerned to get the necessary sanctions from the State Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav before the end of July, Usmani also said once implemented, at least 1,000 kilometres of priority roads would be put through a feasibility survey by Uttar Pradesh State Highways Authority for scientific selection.
 
 Four state highways including 206 km-long Delhi-Saharanpur highway, 115 km-long Varanasi - Shakti Nagar highway, 88 km-long Meerut - Karnal highway, and 54 km-long Bareilly - Almora highway have got the government's green signal.
 
 The government has also set up a working group headed by Infrastructure and Industrial Development Commissioner, AK Gupta, to come up with a strategy to fund strip development for widening state highways.