Not an inch of road laid in 19 dists under PMGSY: RTI info

Query filed by Delhibased activist

ROHTAK : Construction of roads under Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) slowed down in Haryana villages under the present BJP government, with not even an inch of road being constructed in 19 out of 22 districts of state in the last three years.

According to an RTI reply given by the public works department, the BJP government has so far constructed only 53 km road under the scheme.

The roads have been constructed in only Hisar, Jind and Bhiwani at a cost of ₹15 crore.

The RTI application was filed by Rakesh Kadam, a Delhibased RTI activist.

The RTI data revealed that the BJP is running far behind the Congress when compared on parameter of construction of new roads and maintenance of existing roads under the PMGSY scheme.

The Bhupinder Singh Hoodaled Congress government in

Haryana had constructed 4,529 kilometres of road at a cost of ₹1,991 crore under the PMGSY in their 10-year tenure from 2004 to 2014. In the first three years of the Congress tenure, the government had constructed 1,160 km road at a cost of ₹366 crore.

When asked, Haryana PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh said by constructing 53 kilometres of road, they had completed the target given to them by the Centre.

“The target of road construction is given by Centre. We have already completed it. Haryana

has constructed more roads than most of the states under PMGSY,” Narbir said.

Former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, however, attacked the government for making no development.

“The state government has to tell Centre about target. The state government needs to acquire land to build roads to connect villages. But this government has done nothing. During our tenure, we had acquired land and compensated owners to construct roads and highways,” Hooda said.