CM seeks Central help for rural roads in hills

Tribune News Service

Dehradun, November 25

Chief Minister Harish Rawat today requested Union Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Birender Singh to approve new projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) to link the population living in the hills with roads.

He also sought increment in annual allotment of funds for the purpose from Rs 288 crore to Rs 550 crore for the state. He met Birender Singh in New Delhi today.

Chief Minister Harish Rawat also discussed various issues concerned with the PMGSY with the Union Minister and emphasised release of pre-approved Rs 60.60 crore for the reconstruction of PMGSY roads in disaster-affected areas.

Rawat said the Central Government had approved Rs 2,010 crore 24 lakh for 1,120 projects till date and 623 projects had been completed till March 31, 2015, while work on 493 projects was going on.

He said on account of insufficient fund allocation from the Government of India, projects were being delayed and hence the required Rs 1,118 crore 64 lakh must be allocated on priority to complete these projects.

The Chief Minister said accelerating the work, the state government had taken many reformative steps and constituted a Project Implement Unit (PIU) for PMGSY. As a result, the state had been able to spend Rs 455 crore 85 lakh against the actual allocated fund of Rs 313 crore 13 lakh from the Centre during 2014-15.

Additional Rs 142.72 crore had been spent thinking that the Central Government would provide the remaining amount. But, despite of many requests, the Centre neither compensated the amount, nor increased the annual allotted fund of 2014-2015 accordingly, he lamented.

Rawat said the Government of India had informed the state about the annual fund allocation of Rs 288 crore for 2015-16 under PMGSY but considering the expenditure capacity and the remaining works, Rs 550 crore would be required.

He told the Union Minister that Uttarakhand had sent many projects for approval to the Central Government during 2014-15 but to no avail. While 121 Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) worth Rs 809 crore 84 lakh had been sent to the Centre during the current year, the Central Government had returned these DPRs quoting that the reports would be considered only after increment of allocated fund for PMGSY by the Finance Ministry. It should be considered seriously that not a single project had been approved after February 2014 whereas even formalities like forest approval and land transfer had already been completed by the state, he stated.

Rawat asked Birender Singh to release Rs 61.60 crore, which were approved for reconstruction of the damaged roads after the 2013 natural disaster under the PMGSY. The Union Minister assured Rawat of necessary action.