Jajpur: The state and the central governments have emphaised on rural connectivity under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), but nearly 400 road projects under this scheme have remained incomplete even 15 years after commencement of their construction, a report said.
This miserable progress of the rural road connectivity has been reported from 13 rural development circles in the state.
According to reports, 399 PMGSY roads are ito to be completed. Of them, 308 projects had been taken up in the first phase while 91 others were in the second phase.
In Angul RD circle, two projects sanctioned in 2006-7 have not been completed. As many as 124 PMGSY road projects have been stuck midway in Sunabeda RD circle comprising Malkangiri, Nabarangpur, Rayagada and Koraput districts.
It was stated that negligence on part of contractors and officials of the RD department is responsible for inordinate delay in the projects.
Crores of rupees are being pumped into these projects to boost rural connectivity in inaccessible areas, but the scheme seems to have failed to achieve its objective in the pockets where road projects are hanging fire, it was alleged.
In some cases, it was seen that due to substandard work, many road projects are in bad shape in just two or three years after their completion.
Expressing concern on the inordinate delay of these projects, the chief engineer of the RD department (PMGSY) has directed the officials of these RD circles to complete the projects by November 31.
The PMGSY projects are meant to provide good and motorable roads to villages with a population of 1000 each. The PMGSY is being executed by the rural development department of the state government.
It was alleged that unholy nexus between engineers of the department and contractors has scuttled in-time completion of these projects.
For example, the 2.01-km road from Aman to Ambatota and another 6-km road from Khaliberna to Nuagaon in Angul RD circle have been left halfway by the contractors even though their work was started 15 years ago.
Four projects in Angul circle, eight in Balasore circle, 41 in Baripada circle, 30 in Berhampur circle, 21 in Cuttack circle, 42 in Bhawanipatna circle, 31 in Bhubaneswar circle, six in Bolangir circle, 46 in Kendrapara circle, 18 in Keonjhar circle, 13 in Sambalpur circle, 124 in Sunabeda circle and 13 in Sundargarh circle are incomplete.
November 10, the chief engineer of the PMGSY has directed all superintending and executive engineers of the RD circles to scrap agreements of the contractors where PMGSY road projects are caught in tardy pace.
The chief engineer has also ordered fresh tenders for some incomplete projects.
PNN