For several years in the past, roads in the State have been left neglected. Even the roads in the two capital cities are in a dilapidated condition and no steps have been taken to repair these. Conditions of roads in rural areas are worse. People have been demanding immediate repairs; they have been demonstrating and even at times blocking the traffic. There is hardly a road that is not pot-holed making traffic hazards. Why has this happened and why the Government is not bestirred on this count. After all good roads are a clear sign of good administration.
The fact of the matter is that the maintenance of roads developed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is the responsibility of the State Rural Road Development Agency, which must release adequate funds at proper time. In the case funds are not released, roads go from bad to worse. The Secretary Union Ministry of Rural Development has written again to the State Government to elucidate its rural roads maintenance policy but so far no proper reply has been given and the matter hangs in balance. Actually, PMGSY roads are covered by a five-year maintenance contract, to be entered along with the construction contract with the same contractor, as per the Standard Budding Document (SBD). Maintenance funds to service the contract are budgeted by the State Government. This is the bottleneck and no solution has been found. From the figures and statistics in our hand, it is found that the State Roads Development Authority has been releasing only nominal amount for road maintenance and repairs. If against requirements to the tune of 15 crore rupees just 7 crore of rupees for the financial year 2013-14 were released on this head, how can we expect that maintenance and repairing of roads can happen. And when the state makes fresh requisition of funds on account, obviously it has to account for previous expenditures.
This is an embarrassing situation and the Government must clarify what its position regarding maintenance of the roads built under PMGSY scheme is. It is something like stalemate and this has to come to an end. Government must clarify its policy and communicate the same to the Centre so that for future there is clear understanding on who is to maintain what in regard of the roads partly built under PMGSY and partly built by the State itself under its agencies.
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