JAMMU, Feb 17: The Centre has sanctioned a Rs 152.30-crore package for upgrading 12 roads having a total length of 134 km and a bridge project in Jammu and Kashmir, an official spokesperson said on Saturday.
The package under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was approved by the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
With this, the spokesperson said, a total of 233 road projects spanning 1,750 km and 66 bridges falling in the alignment of these roads have been sanctioned for upgradation at an estimated cost of Rs 2,245.46 crore under the PMGSY III programme for Jammu and Kashmir.
The PMGSY programme was launched in Jammu and Kashmir in 2001-02 to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations with a population above 250 as per the 2001 census.
Under this programme, 2,140 rural habitations were found eligible to be connected. For this, the Ministry of Rural Development sanctioned 3,425 works, including 239 bridges (2,741 new connectivity works and 684 upgradation works), under PMGSY-I and II for the construction of 19,049 km of roads at an estimated cost of Rs 12,565 crore.
Despite adverse working conditions, Jammu and Kashmir has achieved 98.50 per cent of the target under PMGSY- I and II, the spokesperson said.
He said 2,118 habitations have been connected so far and the remaining 23 are likely to be connected by March.
A total of 17,985.10 km of roads has been constructed under the scheme, he said.
Under PMGSY-III, the spokesperson said, 521.09 km of road length has been upgraded so far at a cost of Rs 11,723.57 crore.
Jammu and Kashmir has performed exceptionally in making progress and achieving goals under the PMGSY since 2019, constructing 9,000 km of roads, he said.
Notably, the union territory ranked third at the national level in 2020-21 and 2021-22 in terms of road length constructed in a year.
Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Giriraj Singh for the approval of the road infrastructure projects.
In a statement, Sinha said the road upgradation projects will benefit hundreds of habitations in six districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
The two-lane bridge for the border district of Poonch will ensure greater ease of travel and connect villages to prosperity and contribute to overall socio-economic development, he said.
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