Kolkata: Ahead of the forthcoming Assembly elections, the state government has set an ambitious target to revamp rural road infrastructure, proposing construction of 46,000 km of new rural roads and repair of another 10,000 km over the next five years.
Rural road connectivity is considered a key issue likely to shape public opinion ahead of the polls. Since coming to power in 2011, the Mamata Banerjee government has undertaken large-scale road infrastructure reforms across the state.
State Finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on Friday said that 2.2 lakh km of new roads have been constructed under the Pathashree scheme despite what she described as continued deprivation by the Central government. During the 2025–26 financial year, the state spent Rs 1,192 crore under the Pathashree–Rastashree schemes.
“Pathashree–Rastashree is a transformative rural infrastructure programme that ensures enhanced connectivity across the state. It links rural schools, colleges, health centres, Kisan mandis and other key facilities, thereby improving accessibility and supporting socio-economic development across rural Bengal,” Bhattacharya said in her budget speech presented in the Assembly on Thursday.
An estimated Rs 9,488 crore will be required in 2026–27 to complete the remaining works under Phase IV of the Pathashree–Rastashree project. The Interim Budget also proposes the construction of several flyovers in the city. Bengal ranked first in the country in road construction last financial year, completing 20,000 km of roads. In December last year, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched the fourth phase of the Pathashree–Rastashree project from Krishnanagar in Nadia district, announcing the construction of 20,030 km of roads across rural and urban areas.
The project, costing Rs 8,487.83 crore and fully funded by the state government, is expected to benefit residents of 35,000 villages and 128 urban local bodies. It is also expected to generate over 15 crore mandays through job card holders during implementation.