FM heads panel on road connectivity

DEHRADUN: In a bid to improve connectivity of villages with state and district highways, the government has formed a committee under the leadership of finance minister Prakash Pant focusing on renewal of roads that have already been built.

“The committee is formulating a policy on how to connect villages better. We have decided that those villages within a vertical distance of 100 metres from a particular highway will be considered as connecting villages,” said Pant.

He said the report for this policy would be presented in the next cabinet meeting.

The committee was formed in November.

The PWD, which is the nodal body for construction and planning of roads in the state, as of now is able to repair 800 km road every year. With the new policy, the department is aiming to repair around 2,500 km of road in a year.“After a road is built, we get permission for its repair after a few years. For roads in villages, we have to wait for 8 years for its renewal and with the weather conditions in the state, roads need regular repair,” said RC Purohit, chief engineer of the PWD.