J&K to develop 4,500 km of roads under PMGSY this year

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) government is planning to build 4,500 km of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) scheme in FY22. The construction of new roads is likely to connect new 150 habitations across the state with basic road facilities.The report said the government has also set a target to complete work on 14 bridges. To improve the road connectivity and construction of bridges, the J&K government has also allocated Rs 4,089 crore as an annual budget during 2021-22 for the road and bridges sector of J&K. The official report said the allocation is Rs 467 crore more than the previous year’s budget allocation for this sector. The enhanced allocation has been made for the roads and bridges sector when the majority of the roads in cities and towns have developed potholes. Besides taking up new road projects and expediting work on bridges, the government is also planning to launch an online monitoring system wherein all the project works from preparation of DPR to final bill payment will be done through the online mode. According to the document, national-level consultants will also be engaged in developing mechanisms for monitoring the roll-out of 3rd party inspection systems. The official data states that besides construction of road length of 4,500 km during 2021-22 under PMGSY-1 and PMGSY-2, the government is also planning to sanction 1,750 km road length for upgradation in FY22. The government has also set a target for completing black-topping of 8000 km of roads in FY22 under cities and towns, PMGSY and NABARD. A sum of Rs 100 crore has been already provided, and further Rs 150 crore is being provided in 2021-22 for ensuring pothole-free roads across J&K, the document reads. Image SourceAlso Read: Jammu riverfront to be modelled on Sabarmati Also Read: Business establishment process in J&K simplified