KOHIMA — Ministry
of Rural Development under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY) has
sanctioned a total road length of 507 km to Nagaland state during the financial
year 2023-24, out of which 132 km road length has already been completed till
date.
Under the scheme, the ministry has released a central fund
amount of INR 161.29 crore to the state during the financial year 2023-24,
whereby the expenditure incurred including state share stands at INR 94.01
crore till date.
This was informed by the Minister of State for Rural
Development, Kamlesh Paswan, in a written reply in Lok Sabha on February 4.
He informed that a total of 8,34,716 km road length has been
sanctioned under various ongoing interventions and verticals of PMGSY in the
country, out of which 7,71,641 km road length has already been completed and
upgraded till date.
He also stated that the funds for implementation of the
scheme are released by the Ministry to the state as a unit adding that further
release of funds to the Programme Implantation Units (PIU) at the district
level are done by the respective state governments depending upon the
absorption capacity of the PIU.
Under the PMGSY, he maintained that, in order to promote
innovations on large scale for wider adoption of green technology in rural
roads, around 1,63,877 km of roads works have been sanctioned using new/ green
technology out of which 1,14,789 km has been completed till date.
He reminded that under the PMGSY, maintenance of rural roads
is the responsibility of the state governments, whereby the ministry has issued
guidelines stating that roads are covered under a 5-year maintenance contract
to be entered into along with a construction contract with the same contractor
as per the Standard Bidding Document (SBD).
Since the design life of PMGSY roads is ten years, the
states have to undertake further five years of maintenance, he mentioned.
He also highlighted that an MoU has been signed with states
and union territories (UT) to emphasise on maintenance of roads constructed
under PMGSY. The Ministry has also implemented e-MARG, a software module for
maintenance payments to the contractor during the defect liability period.
“The post five-year construction module of e-MARG
incorporates initial rehabilitation, renewal, pre- renewal routine maintenance,
post-renewal maintenance and emergency repair works, as required. Maintenance
funds to service the contract are required to be budgeted by the state
governments and placed at the disposal of the State Rural Roads Development
Agencies (SRRDAs) in a separate maintenance account. On expiry of this 5-year
post construction maintenance, PMGSY roads are required to be placed under zonal
maintenance contracts consisting of 5-year maintenance including renewal as per
cycle, from time to time,” he explained.
He further stated that the union cabinet on September 11,
2024, has approved implementation of PMGSY-IV during FY 2024-25 to 2028-29. He
highlighted that financial assistance is to be provided for the construction of
62,500 km road for providing new connectivity to eligible 25,000 unconnected
habitations of population size 500+ in plains, 250+ in NE and hill sates/UT,
special category areas (tribal schedule V, aspirational districts/ blocks,
desert areas) and 100+ in left wing extremism (LWE) affected districts as per
Census 2011 and construction/ upgradation of bridges on the new connectivity
roads.
The total outlay of the scheme will be INR. 70,125 crore, he
said adding that the PMGSY-IV guidelines have been circulated to all states and
UTs.
