Maha PWD to change road funding pattern to get better results

The Maharashtra government has decided to change the funding pattern of roads from "demand-based sanctioning" to "result-based approvals" so that roads that cater to more people get funds rather than the ones that see more lobbying, a senior Public Works Department official said.
He explained that, generally, if there are more letters demanding funds for a certain road, it tends to get the funds despite it being of less importance than certain other roads which see greater vehicular traffic.
"PWD and Revenue minister Chandrakant Patil has decided to change this pattern. Senior officials from the PWD have listed out important roads in every tehsil and district along with their current condition. Funds for these roads and their effective utilisation has also been discussed. With these meticulous calculations, we want to spend on those roads which have higher vehicular movement because the construction and repair of such roads yields better results," said the PWD official.

He said that the PWD's budget is about Rs 4,000 crore for almost one lakh kilometres of roads.
He informed that the PWD's roadmap to achieve better results was by using every penny in its kitty judiciously, adding that the department was also trying to overcome instances where road construction was stalled due to the lack of minor clearances.