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Gehlot alleges discrimination in fund allocation for highways

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR OCT. 11. The Rajasthan Government has alleged discrimination against it by the Union Ministry for Surface Transport and Highways in making allocations from the Central Road Fund. The State has taken serious exception to the stoppage of funds for the repair and maintenance of National Highways within its territory, terming the decision as an affront to the "spirit of federalism''.

The Chief Minister, Ashok Gehlot, who wrote a letter to the Union Minister of State for Surface Transport and Highways, B.C. Khanduri, said more than administrative reasons other factors were making the Centre to hold up the funds meant for roads in the State.

As such the Centre had no right to stop the funds collected through levy on diesel as the States had a legitimate claim over their share, he said.

Mr. Gehlot said Mr. Khanduri's statement that the funds for Rajasthan were being withheld due to poor maintenance of the roads and use of poor quality material in their laying was "falsehood''.

He said, in April, the Ministry took a "one-sided decision'' to stop funds for seven States, including Rajasthan on the plea that they were still continuing with the "token scheme'' for trucks. It was surprising that the funds for the State were stopped on the plea of the "token scheme'' but Haryana and Uttar Pradesh which too have the same scheme, received funds, Mr. Gehlot said.

The scheme was introduced by the then BJP Government in the State for doing away with the inspector raj.

He said that a Rs.101.30-crore proposal from Rajasthan for National Highways had been pending with the Centre since December 2002 and repeated reminders did not elicit any response till now.

The State had shown the willingness to comply with the suggestion from the Ministry for installing weigh-bridges on the National Highways. It had communicated to the Ministry on the steps taken against overloading but even then the funds were not released.

"The constitutional responsibility of maintenance of the National Highways lies with the Centre. It cannot shirk that responsibility,'' he said.

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