Slow work hits road project

Bhubaneswar: Only 136-km of roads have been constructed under the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana, one of the pet projects of the state government, in the past two years. The scheme launched during the 2014-15 fiscal aims to provide all weather connectivity to 3,500 habitations covering 10,000 km. These habitations were left out from Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The state scheme will provide connectivity to habitations with a population of 499 to 100 in non-integrated action plan (IAP) districts and 249 to 100 to IAP districts.
While the state government has allocated Rs 150 crore in the 2014-15 budget, it was increased to Rs 250 crore the following year. In 2016-17, the state government earmarked Rs 375 crore for the project.
"Work progressed slowly due to delay in its start. The executing agency has been instructed to work expeditiously," said rural development minister Badri Narayan Patra after a review meeting with chief minister Naveen Patnaik.
Naveen also reviewed the Biju Setu Yojana, a state-sponsored scheme under which 401 rural bridges are supposed to be constructed. So far, more than 200 bridges have been built during the current fiscal, Patra said.
Under PMGSY, the state government has received central assistance of Rs 14,955 crore against allocation of Rs 17,815 crore. So far, we have constructed 9,439 roads (36,478 KM) connecting 16,352 habitations under PMGSY. "Construction of more than 2,000 roads would be taken up very soon," Patra added. To maintain the quality of work, the chief minister directed the rural development department to engage an independent agency for third-party assessment.