Haryana: Road network needs Rs 400-cr repair after monsoon damage

Heavy rains during the last few days have caused damage worth Rs 400 crore to the road network in various districts of Haryana. PWD Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala said Rs 100 crore would be released from the calamity relief fund and the remaining amount from the budget of the state government. The road network across the state in districts Dadri, Karnal, Rohtak, Mahendragarh, Sirsa, Fatehabad and Mewat has suffered massive damage with Ambala, Kurukshetra, Yamunanagar and Kaithal being the worst affected.

The state government had released Rs 40 crore from the calamity relief fund for the repair of roads. An additional sum of Rs 37 crore has been demanded. Over Rs 4 crore have been released for the repair of 12 damaged roads in Kaithal and Rs 4 crore have been released for the repair of roads in Ambala.

The minister said due to a ban on mining in Haryana by the Supreme Court and heavy demand for construction material for the Commonwealth Games, the prices of construction material had increased in the state. They are likely to come down after the Commonwealth Games.

Surjewala said this year the monsoons in Haryana had been much above normal. District Mewat received 1,100-mm rainfall this monsoon — an all-time high for the past 100 years. The seasonal rivers in southern Haryana, which used to be inactive, were seen in full spate this year. These rivers caused heavy loss to the standing crops and property in district Mahendragarh and Rewari.