HP pushes Rs. 1200-cr road projects

In its quest to provide world-class road network in the rural heart land of the state, the Himachal Pradesh government announced to push a proposal for Rs. 1,200-cr road projects to the Centre. The proposal will be submitted to the National Rural Road Development Agency and the Union Ministry of Rural Development for approval, Chief Secretary, V C Pharka said, adding that the State Level Standing Committee (SLSC) on Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, the road shelf comprises 318 road projects, including 16 bridges of a total length of 1,874 km whereby the cost of the project will be shared by the Centre and the state in a 90:10 ratio. He also stressed on ensuring quality of construction of roads, particularly in tribal and hilly areas. He directed the Finance Department to release the share of the state as per new funding patterns. In the ongoing fiscal year against a total allocation of Rs. 180cr, the state has received Rs. 97-cr from the Centre against it, an expenditure of Rs. 143-cr has been made and the department expects to spend over Rs. 350 crore by the end of this fiscal, he insisted.