166 roads works were not constructed as per the length provided in the project report
Discrepancies including diversion of funds, issuing tenders prior to technical sanctions, incomplete projects, preferance to certain villages etc. have been found in the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) — a flagship programme of the Central government to provide rural last mile connectivity. For 2018-19, the Centre has allocated Rs 19,000 crore for the PMGSY. A parliamentary panel which scrutinised the programme found that in 11 states, tenders of 608 works were invited prior to their technical sanctions. In another seven states, 73 road works were shown as completed without providing complete connectivity to habitations. While many villages longed for roads, certain favourite villages in nine states got multiple road networks at the cost of others.
To assess the implementation, physical verification of 582 roads in 173 districts of 28 states constructed at the cost of Rs 1,223 crore was undertaken. Out of which it was found that 166 roads works were not constructed as per the length provided in the project report which included 112 cases were variation was more than 100 metres. As many as 20 habitations were provided multiple connectivity and many others were ignored. Also 15 road works were abandoned midway. Further, it was found that 40 roads were not functional for traffic due to non construction of causeways, culverts, bridges to complete stretch. Some 77 works were declared completed without rectification of defects. It was also found that no state has implemented the online fund processing and even after 13 years of introduction on online management, monitoring and accounting system (OMMAS), the Rural Development Ministry was still relying on manual monthly progress reports for decision making. Three states of Gujarat, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir had not even appointed IT nodal officers while in other four states namely Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and UP, there was no supervisory control for verification and authentication of data entry.
The PMGSY introduced in December 2000 is aimed to provide all-weather road to the habitations of 1,000 people by 2003 and villages with 500 people by 2007. An examination of the scheme by the 37-member Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament led by Malikarjun Kharge found that some states had deviated from the prescribed procedures. Consequently eligible habitations were either left out or wrongly shown as connected.
The committee said it was constrained to note that in 12 states, Assam, Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Odisha, Telangana, Tripura, UP, Uttarakhand and West Bengal some 538 works were not commenced and were subsequently dropped due to non-availability of land. Besides 372 works in 11 states were abandoned midway on similar grounds and incurring expenditure of Rs 280.01 crore. In 13 states, 1,550 works were dropped for the reasons such as works excuted under other schemes, transfer of roads to other departments, remote location to carry the material works etc. In Kerala, out of 503 works in hand, 56 works at the cost of Rs. 40 crore were identified as non-feasible for execution.
discrepancies
- 73 road works were shown as completed by 7 states without providing connectivity to habitations.
- Certain favourite villages got multiple road networks at the cost of others.
- 166 roads works were not constructed as per the length provided in the project report.
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 "A rural road constructed under PMGSY")
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