State to take over roads from zilla parishads

The state government has principally agreed to takeover district roads from the zilla parishads and hand it over to the state Public Works Department (PWD) for construction, widening and proper maintenance.

The step has been taken after realizing that it is not well possible for zilla parishads to carry out the work properly for different reasons including lack of sufficient funds.

The decision has been taken during Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's tour to districts including Bankura and Purulia. In an administrative review meeting, the PWD has been directed to initiate the process for the same. Zilla parishads have been asked to identify the roads that they want to give to the PWD for construction, widening or repairing.

After identifying the roads, the zilla parishads will have to send proposals to the PWD stating that they want to handover the identified roads. So far, Bankura zilla parishad has identified as many as 42 roads and has sent a proposal to the state PWD. Many other zilla parishads too have already sent their proposals including West Midnapore that identified 10 roads.

However, the PWD would not takeover all the roads as proposed by the zilla parishads. The PWD officials have framed a guideline based on which they would decide that which road they would take over.

Mainly, the zilla parishads have to provide mouza maps showing that there is no "private holdings or any discontinuity, as per documents, on the proposed road". "We would takeover if only there is continuity of the road as per the mouza map," said a senior officer of the PWD adding that the process of screening the roads that can be taken over has started.

The official added that at present the PWD has almost completed the work of the roads that are right now under them. "For example, in Bankura and Purulia, work on all roads has been completed. Thus, the officials of the state PWD in these districts can easily be assigned with the new projects once the zilla parishad roads are taken over," the official said.