SOS: Need funds to fix roads

The state government is likely to knock on Centre’s door for additional funds to overcome the budgetary constrains in tackling the problem of bad roads in Maharashtra.

Highly placed sources in the Chief Minister’s office said, “The state has made a big mistake by failing to make optimum use of grants sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yogna and Gramin Sadak Yogna over the last decade. Several states, including West Bengal and Bihar, have made the most of these funds by spending Rs15 lakh to Rs35 lakh per km to develop high-quality roads.”

But Maharashtra failed to exploit them by stating that roads connecting north-south and east-west corridors are already in place.

But the failing condition of roads in the state have forced chief minister Prithviraj Chavan to call for a comprehensive study to ascertain the status and requirement of funds for road laying and maintenance.

Sources indicated: “Chavan will negotiate with the Centre to find out how much funds can be acquired through various central schemes to improve roads in the state.”

Though major road projects are being undertaken with public-private partnership, the state government is feeling a financial crunch in laying quality roads and back it with high maintenance.

The public works department (PWD) has outlined a massive Rs33,000 crore road map for the state, and the projects, to be taken up on build-operate-transfer basis in three phases over the next 10 years, promise to change the face of Maharashtra.

PWD minister Chhagan Bhujbal said, “The 2011-12 budget for roads is inadequate to meet the challenges in road infrastructure.”

However, the dilemma before finance minister Ajit Pawar is to find an amicable way out to ensure equitable distribution to other major sectors like irrigation, power, social development, and PWD within the overall sanctioned state budget of Rs41,500 crore.