BHUBANESWAR:AS the Centre expressed concern over slow pace of construction of rural roads under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the State Government said its performance is much better despite delay in release of Central assistance for the flagship programme.
Odisha, which was adjudged as the best performing state in 2017-18 for constructing 7,176 km road against the target of 7,000 km is yet to receive around Rs 1,100 crore from the Centre. The State had provided its share of Rs 1,070.53 crore out of the total expenditure of Rs 2,676 crore in the last fiscal.
The State has been consistently performing well under PMGSY as a result of which 5,797 kms road were constructed during 2016-17. It was adjudged the second best performer in the country after Bihar and received an incentive of Rs 175.67 crore from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD).
Similarly, in 2017-18, the State Government constructed 7,176 kms of road and stood first at all India level. During the last four years, 2,925 km rural roads have been laid by utilising Rs 1,048 crore under Biju KBK and other rural connectivity schemes of the Government.
Though the Centre has fixed a target to construct 8,000 kms of road during the current financial year with an estimated expenditure of Rs 4,166 crore to provide all weather roads to 2500 habitations, the State has completed only 793 km of roads (10 per cent of the target) connecting 145 habitations till August end.
In a recent communication to Chief Secretary AP Padhi, MoRD Secretary Amarjeet Sinha said the state is required to construct roads at an average rate of 33 kms per day for the next seven months to achieve the target.
Since the inception of the rural infrastructure programme, the Centre has sanctioned 60,594 km of road projects including 496 bridges at an estimated cost of Rs 25,602 crore for the state. The state has so far completed construction of 47,849 km of road connecting 16,628 habitation with an expenditure of Rs 20,546 crore.