BHUBANESWAR: As Odisha is way behind the annual target of rural road construction under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the Centre has asked the State Government to complete the sanctioned projects by the end of the current fiscal.
With an allocation of `1,650 crore for the State, the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) had set a target for construction of 6,200 km of road in 2016-17.
A recent report of National Rural Road Development Agency (NRRDA) stated that Odisha has so far completed construction of 3,385 km of road providing all-weather connectivity to 715 villages.
“The pace of construction in Odisha is very slow and below the average progress at national level. This is still more critical keeping in view the fact that 3,111 road works of 12,976.62-km length remained incomplete in the State,” said MoRD Joint Secretary Rajesh Bhusan in a letter to the State Government.
Assuring that availability of financial resources will not be a constraint, Bhusan said timely release of Central assistance will help accelerate implementation.
After completion of 1,356 roads sanctioned by the Centre for the State this fiscal, all-weather connectivity will be provided to about 2,500 habitations.
After change of funding pattern under the scheme, the Centre has made an enhanced allocation of `1,650 crore for the current financial year against `1,430 crore in the last fiscal. The State has to make a contribution of `1,100 crore.
As per the latest figure, 11,208 habitations in the State are yet to have all-weather road connectivity.
The State Government has not been able to provide road connectivity under the flagship infrastructure scheme to 35 villages with more than 1,000 population and 165 villages with more than 500 and less than 1,000 population.
The State has completed 38,162-km length of road since the launching of PMGSY in 2000-01.
Earlier, the Centre had warned the State Government not to reimburse the expenditure made on road projects completed four years after approval.