The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Special package to improve road link in naxalite-hit areas

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Monday, Feb 11, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Special package to improve road link in naxalite-hit areas

S. Rajendran

Union Government has agreed to provide Rs. 537 crore for the project

Package will be implemented in six districts
State trying to get Shimoga included in the list

Bangalore: In an attempt to counter the naxalite menace in some of the districts in the Malnad region, the Union Government will provide better road connectivity to habitations that have a population of less than 500. Some of these habitations have been identified as “special pockets” visited by naxalites to attract people to their movement.

Acting on a proposal mooted by the State Government, the Centre has agreed to provide Rs. 537 crore as a special financial package to build motorable roads connecting the habitations with the main roads in a radius of around 25 km.

The special package, approved recently, has been earmarked for Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kodagu, Chikmagalur and Hassan.

The State Government has also sought inclusion of Shimoga as the topography of the district is identical with neighbouring Chikmagalur.

Sources in the State Secretariat told The Hindu that the special financial package for rural roads was under the Prime Minister’s Grama Sadak Yojana.

Funds

As such, the Centre had already granted Rs. 650 crore under the seventh phase of the PMGSY to the State and the implementation of the schemes under this phase would commence shortly.

Principal Secretary, Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, K. Jairaj along with Director, Rural Infrastructure Development, Manjula recently made a special presentation to the Union Secretary for Rural Development, Rita Sharma, and Joint Secretary J. Mohapatra which enabled the State to receive the special package to build 2,400 km of rural roads.

The State Government has been directed to quickly submit a detailed project report on the works to be implemented and on approval, the funds are expected to be released in April.

As the Malnad districts receive heavy rainfall between June and September,

the authorities have decided to commence the preliminary work in April and take up road asphalting after the monsoon. The plan is to complete the roadworks in 18 months.

The Karnataka Government had received a bonanza of sorts from the Centre sometime ago to provide rural employment to the poor. What was given to five districts in 2005 and implemented in 2006 was extended to six more districts and the second phase of the scheme was launched in December 2007.

It is another matter that the State Government had requested the Centre to extend the scheme for a set of eight backward districts.

This was, however, not considered by the Centre which adopted a different yardstick to grant the benefit.

Mr. Jairaj told The Hindu that he had so far held three rounds of discussions with the chief executive officers of the zilla panchayats on various aspects of implementation of the rural schemes, including the PMGSY.

The Union Government in the normal course sends an advance for the implementation of the project although the final settlement of the Centre is based on completion of works, a utilisation certificate backed by an audit report.

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