J&K achieves 94.25% progress in PMGSY works; 2% more than national average

Srinagar:   Jammu and Kashmir achieved 94.25 percent progress in the works under Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) last year. 

This is two percent more than the national average. The national average is 92.81 percent.

Official records suggested that the Department of Public Works (R&B) constructed a road length of 3284 km during 2021-22  under PMGSY.

 At 9 km road length per day, 114 habitations were connected through road networks last year.

In 2020-21 a road length of  3167 km was constructed under PMGSY with an average of 8.67 km per day. 119 habitations were connected under PMGSY in 2020.

Jammu and Kashmir has secured the third spot in developing the rural road network after Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

 PMGSY was launched in J&K during 2001-02 to provide all-weather connectivity to the unconnected habitation in rural areas with a population of more than 250.

An official from the PWD department told The Kashmir Monitor that they are aiming to achieve the 100 percent target under the scheme this year.

 “Improving connectivity has been the main motive of the administration.  The major thrust is on road connectivity to inaccessible and difficult areas,” he said.

 Under PMGSY, CRIF, and NABARD, Jammu and Kashmir administration has decided to macadamize 6000-kilometer road length this year.

 The blacktopping and construction of roads begins in April in Kashmir and continues till October. Last year against the set target of 1454.02 kilometers, the PWD department macadamized 1657.58 kilometers in the valley by the end of October.

 In 2021-22, an average 20.28 km road length was blacktopped per day whereas in 2020-21 and 2019-20, road length blacktopped per day was 15.06 km and 6.27 km, respectively.

 To check the quality of the work, the administration has decided to conduct a third-party audit. All ongoing works will be brought under the purview of third-party inspection from 2022-23.

  As per officials, the Directorate of Designed, Quality Control, and Inspection has been appointed as the nodal agency for implementing quality control mechanisms.