Rajasthan seeks more road funds

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje has asked the central government to release Rs 409.59 crore immediately under Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sarak Yojana (PMGSY).

Raje suggested this in a meeting with the Union Minister for Rural Development Raghunath Prasad Singh in Delhi recently. Raje said Rajasthan was a leading state in the country as regards implementing PMGSY and its achievement had been appreciable.

She told Singh the Centre had sanctioned Rs 679.49 crore to connect the places having a population of 1,000 and more by all-weather roads.

Against the total sanction of Rs 679.49 crore for 1,512 road works for 2003-04, Rajasthan's Public Works Department (PWD) has completed 1,310 road works, costing Rs 588.30 crore. But the Union ministry of rural development has so far released Rs 421.26 crore only. The remaining road works are about to be completed, but due to a paucity of funds, progress has been slow.

Likewise, under Phase IV of PMGSY, the state in May commenced road works that cost Rs 302.81 crore, on which there are liabilities of Rs 85 crore. Raje said there was a need to clear the accumulated liabilities in a time-bound manner to avoid litigation. A sum of Rs 561 crore more was required for completing the sanctioned works, she added.

Raje said in PMGSY it was envisaged that places having a population of 500 and above were also to be connected by all-weather roads by 2007.

Rajasthan still has 5,027 unconnected places with a population 500 and above. To connect them, nearly Rs 3,000 crore will be required. Raje said considering there are desert and tribal areas in the state, the Centre should enhance the yearly sanction of Rs 1,000 crore under PMGSY; otherwise, the targeted goal as envisaged in the above scheme would be tough to achieve.

She said the state might be permitted to securitise funds under PMGSY by taking loans from financial institutions, for which the central government should ensure repayment.