State govt sets target: 2,000 km roads, 3 months

Kolkata: The state government has set a target of completing construction of around 2,000 km road, which was handed over to the state Public Works Department (PWD) from zilla parishads, in the next three months.

It may be mentioned that the state government had decided to ask the zilla parishads to handover roads to PWD for widening and strengthening considering that it will help in better implementation of the project as infrastructure of PWD to carry out the work is considerably better that of the zilla parishads. The decision to handover the zilla parishad roads to PWD was taken a few months ago.

According to a senior official of the state PWD, so far around 2,000 km roads have been identified that have to be widened and strengthened in all zilla parishads across the state.

Following necessary directions from the state government, the zilla parishads had sent proposals to the state PWD to take up certain roads in their respective areas for widening and strengthening. The PWD officials have scrutinised all documents related to the roads, which were proposed by the zilla parishads for widening as there was a condition that the former would not carry out the work if a road is found passing through a private holding or if there is any dispute with the land. The officials have also gone through the mouza maps provided by the zilla parishads and identified around 2,000 km road that will be widened and strengthened.

Most of the roads which will be strengthened is in the western part of the state including districts like Burdwan, Bankura, Birbhum and Midnapore.

The official said the necessary work in this regard has also been started and there is a review meeting in this connection on November 7. "In the meeting, we will zone wise assess the progress of the work and at the same time, the concerned officials will also be discussing the issues that need to be sorted out to ensure fast completion of the strengthening and widening of the roads," the official said adding that they are taking all steps for completion of the projects in the next three months. Strengthening and widening of the roads in zilla parishads will ensure further infrastructural development in the districts.

It may be recalled that the Mamata Banerjee-government have constructed 23,789 km rural roads in the past six years and have also assured to construct another 18,000 km roads in the rural parts of the state.