Pathashree Abhijan: About 1,000 km road in interior parts of villages reconstructed
Kolkata: With initiative taken by Chief Minister Mamata under Pathashree Abhijan, condition of 1,000 km roads in the interior parts of villages have been reconstructed in the past one-month time that has ensured immense benefit to the people living in the grassroot level.
This has given a relief to villagers residing even in the remotest part of the state as the state government had taken immediate steps for reconstruction of rural roads based on their appeal.
So far more than 6,000 km of rural roads have been reconstructed by the state Panchayat and Rural Development department since October 1 when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had launched the Pathashree Abhijan at Phulbai in Jalpaiguri. Initially the project was launched for reconstruction of 12,000 km rural roads. Later it increased to 15,000 km.
According to a senior state government officer, the work to reconstruct 12,000 km road will be completed by December and at the same time the work of the additional 3,000 km has also been taken up at some places.
"But the most unique and satisfactory part of the project is that 1,000 km of road in interior villages have been reconstructed. It is immensely benefiting the local populace," the officer said adding that there were more such villages where the roads will be reconstructed.
Local people from different parts of the state had approached the state government stating about the need for reconstruction of roads in their respective areas. It also includes the roads in interior villages as well. A database was prepared giving all importance to the appeals made by the common people from the grassroot level and the project of reconstructing the roads under "Pathashree Abhijan", for which around Rs 800 crore has been sanctioned, was taken up.
Bengal had witnessed a sea change in rural connectivity after Trinamool Congress came to power in the state in 2011. Almost all village roads were concretised and it then came as a revolution in ensuring improved last mile connectivity in the rural parts of the state. Villagers walking on non-black top surki road had become a matter of the past. Now reconstruction of the rural roads in the interior parts of villages has once again immensely benefited the rural populace.
The Mamata Banerjee government constructed 9 lakh km roads in the past nine years. On the contrary, only around 3000 km of road was constructed in the period from independence to 2011.
The project is creating lakhs of mandays providing job opportunities to the people residing in the rural parts of the state when many have lost jobs due to the nationwide lockdown.
