Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, January 20:
Construction/repairing of 125 roads in rural areas of the State under Prime Minister Gramin Sadak Yojana with cent percent Central funding have been commenced, MoS for Rural Development & Panchayati Raj N Loken Singh informed.
Talking to a group of news reporters at his office today, the MoS disclosed that the Union Rural Development Ministry had already released an amount of Rs 40 crores out of the total estimated amount of Rs 80.71 crores required for the grand project.
The remaining amount would also be released once the utilization certificate of the earlier amount sanctioned is submitted, he added.
Loken said that the work of construction/repairing the roads could not be commenced earlier in spite of the fund having released, as this department does not have its own technical wing.
To avoid such inconvenience in future, he informed that plans are afoot to open up Rural Engineering Cell each at six different divisions.
The proposal would be soon taken up after an approval by the Cabinet, he said.
Replying to question whether new staffs would be appointed for the proposed Rural Engineering Cells, the MoS replied in the negative.
He said that as the down sizing policy is still in effect due to the acute financial position of the State Government, instead of appointing new staffs, the required manpower for running the Cells would be utilized from the existing staffs of the PWD on deputation.
He informed that the PMGSY scheme is being taken as district wise package and altogether J3 packages have been approved for the State including six in Churachandpur and five in Tamenglong.
The technical sanction for each of the package is being provided by the Regional Engineering College, Silchar, he said, informing that one contractor would be entrusted for each packages.