Prithviraj Chavan seeks Central funding to fix Maharashtra roads

November 28, 2011

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Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan has urged the Centre to allocate funds under the Pradhan Mantri Sadak Yojna to enable Maharashtra to fix state roads.

Chavan indicated that large funds which were allocated to other states under the scheme was not availed by the state for several years leading to a disadvantage. The state was denied the funds as it had already declared 100% connectivity and good conditions using state funds.

However, in the last 15 years, the state had managed to make little investments in the road sector. A majority of the new projects which were envisaged and implemented related to built-operate and transfer basis (BoT).

An official in the ministry of planning and finance said, “If we compare the funds allocated to states like Andhra Pradesh, then we lost almost Rs3,000 crore per year. Between 1999 and 2009, the state should have pressed for at least Rs15,000 crore from the Centre to be undertaken in phases.”

The poor allocation of funds from the Centre was also on account of lack of political will to pursue the matter with the Planning Commission. In the 1990s, having attained almost maximum connectivity, the state focused on new projects but the investments required formaintenance was overlooked.

Now the senior NCP minister for public works department (PWD), Chhagan Bhujbal has decided to mobilise resources through public and private partnerships to fix state road infrastructure. The PWD has already undertaken major projects worth Rs33,000 crore through private-public partnership in phases.

Source: dnaindia.com