PMGSY cannot be allowed to falter anymore
The general delay in delivering road projects under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana on schedule is disheartening. The Centre's decision, that defaulter States pay for undue delays, makes sense. Holding the States accountable for their inability to complete roads, sends a strong signal to the public that rural roads as arteries of development, cannot be ignored. In view of the passing of the historic Goods and Services Tax Bill by Parliament, rural infrastructure assumes added significance. The Government must note that major transactions in the country still operate largely through roads and, therefore, the States must execute the PMGSY projects by giving them top priority.
The report of the First Common Review Mission submitted by former Finance Secretary Sumit Basu and his team brings home the point that there was no agreement between some States and the Union Ministry of Rural Development about the length of the road to be constructed under the PMGSY. The panel had recommended that there was an urgent need for improved monitoring and additional manpower from the agencies involved, and that the State Governments should provide necessary help for the completion of many of the roads. The CRM also stressed on adequate budgetary provisions for the maintenance of PMGSY roads. Sensing the seriousness of the condition of the roads, a framework must be drawn by the States for the maintenance of these roads, normally and in emergencies.
As the PMGSY was a 100 per cent Centrally-funded scheme till 2014-15, the States solely depended on the Union Government for the projects' implementation. But from 2015-16, the PMGSY funding pattern has changed to 60:40 sharing between the Centre and the States respectively. However, the sharing ratio for the hill States, in the North-East and elsewhere, has become 90:10. This shows that the States have an almost equal share of accountability in overseeing that road connectivity comes on time for millions of villagers.
Apart from the financial terms, in no way can the States shy away from their responsibilities, as the roads lie within their territorial jurisdiction. To be precise, the Union Government formulates the policy guidelines and facilitates the making of quality roads by emphasising on planning, clearance of road works, better methods of execution and, of course, timely implementation. Beyond this, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways asking for details of the pending projects wherein the clearances are required either from the courts or from the Department of Forests, will help clear the cloud over the incomplete projects in the States. Why have the respective State Governments failed to maintain the quality, quantity and timely delivery of PMGY projects so farIJ Accusations can go back and forth, but the delays have to be addressed by keeping aside allegations.
When it comes to providing maximum connectivity to the villages, regional politics or ideological party rivalry should not be a roadblock. Public roads are a fundamental need of the people, and they must be made available to them. When we are talking about global villages, we must ensure a decent level of road connectivity to our people.