LUCKNOW, Aug. 15 -- In a bid to speed up pothole repairs across the state, the Uttar Pradesh PWD has introduced real-time updation of potholes, under which field staff will update their status as repairs are carried out. PWD engineers have also been instructed to undertake temporary repairs using soil, aggregate and brick fragments on potholes caused by rain. "Live updates of potholes will enable swift action on the ground, as field staff will also update the status as they repair them," said Ashok Kumar Dwivedi, engineer-in-chief (development) and head of the UP PWD. Officials said measures aim to prevent potholes from expanding further and ensure smooth movement of motor vehicles. The state faces pothole problems from the beginning of September, which can continue for up to a month after the rains recede. "Reports regarding road potholes will be made available on Vishwakarma Portal, where senior officials will review progress of pothole repairs and monitor number of active potholes," said AK Dubey, chief engineer, UP PWD, Headquarters-I. Engineers stationed in the districts will upload pothole-related data on the 'Marg Dishank' app, recently developed by the department. The app will enable the headquarters to access real-time information on potholes, with the data subsequently fed into the Vishwakarma Portal. Until last year, reports on road potholes were collected from districts through email and compiled manually. htc...