Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, August 21: Slow progress in construction of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) roads in 18 integrated action plan (IAP) districts has threatened to foil the scheme’s objective of providing all-weather connectivity to all unconnected habitations in Orissa’s rural areas.
According to the latest data available with the rural development department, 7,422 road projects have been sanctioned under the PMGSY till July 2015 and as many as 2,081 of them are yet to be completed.
The projects were sanctioned for 18 Maoist-hit districts at the inception of the scheme. However, no project has been sanctioned this financial year, sources said.
In terms of length, the government has sanctioned road projects of 30,229.65 km length, out of which 21814.79 km have completed till July end.
Although there are as many as 13,121 eligible habitations in the 18 IAP districts, the government has cleared only 9,067 habitations under the PMGSY fold and only 6,252 habitations have so far been covered under the scheme, reveals the data. It shows that over half of the total eligible habitations are yet to be covered under the rural infrastructure development scheme.
Till the end of July, projects worth `11,469 crore have been approved and around `8,467 crore of it was utilised. In the current financial year, around `346 crore has been spent in these districts under the scheme.
The figures show that though there are 930 eligible habitations in Malkangiri district, only 431 of them were included in PMGSY and that only 61 habitations have been connected through the scheme so far.
Officials blame slow flow of funds for the Central scheme for the delay. This has led to the state government funding these projects without waiting for Central funds to reach so that the work gets completed soon.
“The state government utilises its human resources and other mechanisms to complete these projects. But the delay is caused because the Centre has stopped funding the scheme,” said an RD department official.
The Centre had sanctioned projects worth `17,814.24 crore to Orissa under PMGSY programme till the end of April 2015. However, the state has so far received `12,337.83 crore, said officials. The balance `5,476.41 crore is yet to be released by the Centre, they added.
To maintain continuity of progress, the state government has decided to provide half of the total budget provision made for the scheme for the year 2015-16.