LUCKNOW, March 2 -- Even as Uttar Pradesh boasts of a 1,788-km expressway network - the country's longest - a spate of recurring crashes involving long-distance and sleeper buses on these high-speed corridors has put vehicle fitness checks and enforcement mechanisms under sharp scrutiny.

Following the mishaps, questions are being raised about whether monitoring systems have kept pace with rapid infrastructure expansion. These expressways form the backbone of inter-state bus movement between Delhi and eastern states such as Bihar and Jharkhand.

Longest network, maximum exposure

Uttar Pradesh currently has five functional expressways - Yamuna Expressway (165 km), Agra-Lucknow Expressway (302 km), Purvanchal Expressway (340 km), Bundelkha...