Odisha has set a target to complete 3,500 km of rural roads by March-end under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a senior official said today. So far, the state has constructed 43,222 km road at an investment of Rs 18,624 crore under the central programme, connecting 19,682 villages, official sources said. The PMGSY is being implemented in the state on a 60:40 sharing basis by the Centre and the state government. "I have asked the officials to complete road construction of 3,500 km under the PMGSY by March, 2018," Chief Secretary A P Padhi said while presiding over a meeting of the PMGSY's State Level Sanctioning Committee here yesterday. The committee also approved 165 new roads and 36 bridges spread across 582 km as new connectivity and upgradation projects. The projects are estimated to cost Rs 500 crore.
The target is to complete an additional 14,000 km-road during the next fiscal. Padhi also directed officials to ensure better quality of construction and expedite completion through close and day- to-day monitoring. Engineers of the rural development were advised to make use of waste materials in the construction of the roads, Padhi said. The chief secretary also asked the forest department officials to provide necessary cooperation in connecting the "unconnected" villages.
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