Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today launched an ambitious Phase II of the Rajiv Gandhi Bridges and Roads Infrastructure Development Programme with an investment of Rs 5,000 crore.
Besides, he released the new PWD Code at a function held here today.
The chief minister recalled that Phase I of the Rajiv Gandhi Bridges and Roads Infrastructure Development Programme, costing Rs 3,000 crore, had been launched by United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi, on November 28, 2007, at Charkhi Dadri in Bhiwani district, and most projects under the programme had been completed before time.
In all, 245 projects worth Rs 3,112 crore had been launched in the state under the first phase. Out of these, 148 projects had already been completed at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore.
The remaining projects, worth Rs 1,600 crore, would be completed within the next six months, he added.
Hooda said Haryana was created on November 1, 1966, by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She had provided liberal financial help, enabling Haryana to make rapid progress and turn into a surplus foodgrain state.
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Haryana had emerged as the second-largest contributor of foodgrain to the Central Pool and had the highest per capita investment. Besides, the state stood out in State Gross Domestic Product, he added.
The chief minister expressed the hope that the second phase of the programme would also be completed before the schedule time as it had been done in the first phase.
Releasing the PWD code, Hooda said transparency, security and quality would prevail after its introduction. It would prove a milestone. Haryana was the first state to evolve a code and he hoped that other states would follow suit.
The earlier code had been implemented in 1910 by the British empire. It was the need of the hour to make the code more effective, Hooda added.
Speaking on the occasion, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary K K Jalan said during the next four months, projects worth Rs 10,000 crore, would materialise in the state which would be a record.
Various roads and bridges projects worth Rs 1,000 crore have been sanctioned by the Union government during the last four months. He expressed his gratitude to the chief minister and gave the assurance that work on the second phase would also be completed ahead of schedule.
Jalan said projects worth Rs 1,100 crore would be launched in all the districts of the state. The project reports had already been prepared and tenders would be issued within one month.
Engineer-in-Chief Mahesh Kumar said during the last four-and-a-half years, Rs 1,913 crore had been spent on the construction and repair of various government buildings.
Besides, 663 kms of new roads had been constructed and under the Pradhanmantri Grameen Sadak Yojna, a sum of Rs 1344 crore had been incurred and 2,750-km road length had been improved in the state.