Centre clears 108 road projects for J&K

The Centre has cleared 108 road projects for Jammu and Kashmir under the prime minister's gram sadak yojna and the Bharat Nirman scheme, which will be completed at an estimated cost of Rs 144 crore, Minister of State for Roads and Buildings Gulchain Singh Charak said today.

Under phase one and two of the PMGSY scheme, 19 roads would be completed by the end of June, while the rest were likely to be completed by September this year, Charak said after reviewing the pace of work on roads being executed by the state rural road development agency (SRRDA) here today.

He said the state government would earmark funds for maintenance of rural roads that were being executed under the PMGSY.

The minister said the executive engineers concerned would be empowered to ensure that the contractors maintain the prescribed quality and standards, while carrying out the road projects.

Also, the state quality controller and the national quality controller would look into the action taken report, he said.

Charak said laboratories had to be set up to maintain the specifications of material used in the construction works. The chief engineers concerned would monitor and undertake visits to the work sites.

Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had yesterday reviewed the progress on the prime minister's reconstruction plan to develop infrastructure, being implemented in the state, official sources said.

Lauding PM Manmohan Singh and the central leadership for providing liberal assistance to the state and taking keen interest in its all-round development, Azad asked the administration to utilise funds well and complete works on time to create "invaluable infrastructure", whose benefit would filter down to the masses.