J&K targets 10,000 km roads under PMGSY

In a major initiative in the road and transport sector, the state PWD has decided to construct around 10000 km road length under PMGSY during the next financial year. This will be in addition to the upgrading of roads to be taken up under other schemes including CRF, NABARD, World Bank, ADB. The state is beset with topographical and climatic challenges in constructing rural roads but the state would macadamize the longest road length ever under PMGSY next year, Minister for Public Works, Naeem Akhtar said. He added that a target of macadamizing 1800 km road length under PMGSY would be achieved in J&K by the end of this fiscal. For the maintenance of PMGSY roads, the Minister said the government is taking over five-year-old PMGSY schemes under R&B (PWD) sector to maintain the rural roads. He also stressed the need to consider the impact of road construction on the ecology and conducting environmental impact studies in eco-sensitive states like Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. In fact, PMGSY has proven to be a boon for the hill state as it has helped connect many terrains and hilly areas in the region.