Good roads vital for sound economic growth: Bukhari

Tribune News Service

Jammu, March 27

Minister for Roads and Buildings Mohammad Altaf Bukhari today said an effective communication network was essential not only for meeting the requirements of travel and transport but also for rapid socio-economic development of the state.

“Good connectivity and economic growth are linked with each other,” the minister said, adding that road connectivity was even more important as it was directly linked to the promotion of tourism.

“To set Jammu and Kashmir on the path of investment we need infrastructure planning and delivery to improve the lives of our citizens across the state,” the minister said in the Legislative Assembly here.

He further said there was fundamental link between sound infrastructure and productive state economy.

Bukhari said infrastructure network enables people to gain access to jobs and prosperity.

“You have to imagine the future to understand the decisions we need to take now,” Bukhari said while emphasising the importance of better road connectivity in improving the state’s economic performance.

Giving details about the work done by the department, the minister said 1,223 km road length across the state had been blacktopped and water-bound macadam (WBM) laid for a length of 1,683 km during the current financial year so far.

He said Rs 565.71 crore stand expended under the R&B sector during 2013-14 while a road length of 1,376 km was blacktopped besides laying WBM over a length of 2,354 km.

The minister further said 6,074 km had been restored out of the aggregate damaged road length of 6,121 km due to floods.

He also said out of 600 damaged bridges, 510 bridges have been restored so far.

Bukhari said project proposals of Rs 661.74 crore for funding for inter-state and intra-state roads under various centrally-sponsored schemes had been submitted to Ministry of Road Transport.

He further said the state government was pursuing the matter with the Union Government for seeking external financial assistance from Japan International Corporation Agency under the Official Development Assistance loan for 20 major projects, which includes construction of six tunnels and 14 major road projects.

Earlier, the minister moved a demand of grant for Rs 22,9814.45 lakh to defray the charges which would come in the course of payment during the year ending March 31, 2016 for the R&B Department.