LG calls for laying spl focus on upgrading & improving road connectivity, especially in rural areas

Srinagar: Lieutenant Governor, Manoj Sinha Tuesday took a comprehensive review of the progress achieved under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in a meeting held here at Raj Bhavan.
BVR Subrahmanyam, Chief Secretary; Shailendra Kumar, Principal Secretary to the Government, Public Works (R&B) and other senior officers attended the meeting.
Stressing on the need to upgrade and expand the intra UT road connectivity, the Lt Governor urged the concerned officers to ensure the quality standards in road construction with climate-resilient construction so that the roads can withstand the vagaries of climate in the region. He further directed for strict adherence to project timelines.
He observed that the government is working with an agenda of equitable development to ensure the welfare of every section of society and called for laying special focus on upgrading and improving the road connectivity, especially in rural and remote areas as it is a prerequisite for the socio-economic development of any region.
The Lt Governor asked the Principal Secretary to the Government, Public Works (R&B) to submit a proposal for achieving pot-hole free main roads across the UT.
He further directed him to expedite the pace of work on all PMGSY roads for their timely completion and called for weekly monitoring of the work progress, setting of targets for completion of works and submission of the progress report on a regular basis. Take all requisite measures to remove the bottlenecks to achieve the target in time, he added.
The Lt Governor also sought a detailed report of schemes yet to be completed and directed for their completion in a time-bound manner.
Principal Secretary to the Government, Public Works (R&B), Shailendra Kumar gave a detailed briefing of the progress on different roads across the UT, besides informing about the total length achieved so far and future work plan.
The Lt Governor was informed that J&K is the best performing State/UT throughout India for the year 2020-21 with a total 745 kms length completed connecting 21 habitations in about 70 available working days.
Giving a comparative statement of achievements made under PMGSY from 2001-2020, the chair was informed that a total length of 7977 kms was achieved from 2015-16 to 2020-21 with expenditure of about Rs 4,449.71 crores, as compared to 3641.82 kms length achieved (expenditure of Rs 2549.71 crores) from 2001 to 2015.