New Delhi: Decks have been cleared by the
Centre for the construction of 60,000 km of Bihar's rural
roads falling under the core network of Pradhan Mantri Gramin
Sadak Yojna, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said on Friday.
"All matters relating to the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak
Yojna (PMGSY) in Bihar, especially with regard to the core
network, have now been cleared," Kumar told reporters
outside Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh's
office.
The Bihar chief minister thanked Ramesh for clearing all
impediments that were obstructing the sanction of pending road
network projects in Bihar.
"I am happy that the matter of Bihar's core network,
which was pending for many years now, has been resolved. Rural
roads are a major issue in Bihar and now the big hurdle in
laying of rural road network in the state has been cleared,"
he said.
"Jairam Ramesh has already sent a letter of approval of
various pending road network projects in the state. I have
specially come here to thank him, as he has kept his word on
Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna issue, after he visited
Patna and held detailed discussions on the matter," Kumar
added.
He said that "out of Bihar's 60,000 km of rural roads
under the core network, work on 38,000 km has already been
approved and is in progress at various stages. Now, the deck
has been cleared for according approval to the pending 22,000
km of core network."
Nitish added that work on the 2,300 km road network in
seven districts under the Integrated Action Plan (IAP) would
also be started soon, as Ramesh has also given directions to
his Ministry's officials to complete the sanction of pending
projects on priority basis by the end of this month.
"Both the Central and State governments are concerned
about the quality of work," he said, reiterating that no
compromise would be made on the quality of work.
State agencies will be fully responsible for their
quality, he added.
He also said that a team from Patna had come here and
held detailed discussions with Ministry officials and all data
and documents have been handed over by the state government.
The Union rural minister had given final shape to road
network in Bihar in the September 14 meeting, he said.
Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has in his
letter to Nitish Kumar said that the Core network for Bihar
has finally been approved, subject to any reconciliation
between the habitation and revenue village population data.
The Minister also said that 409 projects (worth Rs 935
crore) which were earlier sanctioned to central agencies and
remained un-awarded have been cancelled.
"The state government will submit Detailed Project
Reports (DPRs) for these roads after which they will be
sanctioned," he wrote.
PTI
First Published: Friday, September 16, 2011, 19:12