Centre flayed for delay in approving road upgradation funds

Bal Krishna Shukla, the BJP MP elected from Vadodara parliamentary constituency criticised the centre for allegedly delaying approval of a Rs 1,065-crore road upgradation project in Gujarat.
The pre-empowered committee of the Prime Minister's Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) cleared a Rs 1064-crore road upgradation project of 921 roads covering a total distance of 2,834 km across Gujarat and the committee met in Delhi last Friday, Shukla said.
"Despite Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi frequently writing letters to the Centre on the need for its approval and me raising this issue in the Lok Sabha, it fell on deaf ears," he alleged.

The PMGSY scheme was launched in 2000 and it took more than 12 years to approve upgrdation of 2834 km of roads in Gujarat, he said.
Many villages including those inhabited by tribals were deprived road connectivity due to fixing of certain criteria by the Centre, under which requirement of minimum population in tribal and non-tribal villages had to be met, he said.