LUCKNOW: In a rural outreach ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, the ruling BJP has released funds for construction of roads connecting hamlets with a population of 250 people.
In the first phase, public works department has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for construction of connecting roads in villages of 11 districts, including chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s bastion Gorakhpur, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s parliamentary constituency Azamgarh, Ballia, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Farrukhabad, Kanpur Rural, Etah, Chitrakoot and Banda.
According to a communiqué dated March 7 sent to PWD engineer-in-chief Rajiv Ratan Singh, the department said Rs 50 crore would be required for construction of connecting roads in the 11 districts, of which around Rs 20 crore has been released in first phase.
The department has demarcated roads assembly seatwise to zero in on areas needing a road connectivity. Significantly, Azamgarh has bagged the lion’s share as 43 rural areas spread over nine assembly seats of the district are proposed to be taken up by PWD. Likewise, 15 hamlets in Gorakhpur are proposed to be developed under the project.
The move is seen as the Yogi government’s bid to project its developmental agenda and consolidate its position among the rural masses, even as BJP gears up to take on the two regional satraps — SP and BSP —which have a significant vote bank essentially in rural areas.
According to the letter issued by the department, the work should be started only after technical assurance from the competent authority. The department has also fixed the responsibility of PWD engineer-in-chief to ensure the quality of construction and timely completion of the project. Also, the funds would be utilized as per the requirement and should not be kept in the bank or post office.
The department has also directed that the spending of the funds would be verified by the state government from time to time.
The department has also asked the engineer in chief to ensure that the work of connecting roads is done by any other government source. The labour cess would, however, be borne by the labour department.
In the first phase, public works department has sanctioned Rs 20 crore for construction of connecting roads in villages of 11 districts, including chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s bastion Gorakhpur, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s parliamentary constituency Azamgarh, Ballia, Deoria, Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Farrukhabad, Kanpur Rural, Etah, Chitrakoot and Banda.
According to a communiqué dated March 7 sent to PWD engineer-in-chief Rajiv Ratan Singh, the department said Rs 50 crore would be required for construction of connecting roads in the 11 districts, of which around Rs 20 crore has been released in first phase.
The department has demarcated roads assembly seatwise to zero in on areas needing a road connectivity. Significantly, Azamgarh has bagged the lion’s share as 43 rural areas spread over nine assembly seats of the district are proposed to be taken up by PWD. Likewise, 15 hamlets in Gorakhpur are proposed to be developed under the project.
The move is seen as the Yogi government’s bid to project its developmental agenda and consolidate its position among the rural masses, even as BJP gears up to take on the two regional satraps — SP and BSP —which have a significant vote bank essentially in rural areas.
According to the letter issued by the department, the work should be started only after technical assurance from the competent authority. The department has also fixed the responsibility of PWD engineer-in-chief to ensure the quality of construction and timely completion of the project. Also, the funds would be utilized as per the requirement and should not be kept in the bank or post office.
The department has also directed that the spending of the funds would be verified by the state government from time to time.
The department has also asked the engineer in chief to ensure that the work of connecting roads is done by any other government source. The labour cess would, however, be borne by the labour department.
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