Work is being taken up on a fast pace for the completion of Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded Raipur to Balodabazar road measuring about 200 km, officials informed.
The ADB funding quantum for the project is Rs196.68 crore, they informed.
It may be recalled that the ADB had been helping Chhattisgarh government upgrade about 916 kilometers of roads in the State.
The works include development of new road sections, two laning work, constructing and strengthening culverts and bridges, officials stated.
Notably, new stretches of rural roads are rapidly coming up in Chhattisgarh with massive funding support from ADB, officials stated.
The ADB has provided lending support to Chhattisgarh for projects undertaken under
Prime Minister’s Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
The international funding agency had been helping to either construct or upgrade 31,000 kms of rural roads in the states of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradsh, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam nationally, officials stated.
Notably, the Chhattisgarh Government has already started taking steps to even settle the forest land disputes under the Forest Protection Act 1980 as early as possible for accelerating the process of laying of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) (Prime Minister's Rural Roads Project), officials stated.
A time-bound action plan has been chalked out for various departments to settle the issues relating to forest land expeditiously, officials stated.
The State Public Works Department (PWD) has completed construction of 14 key roads at the cost of nearly Rs 200 crore during the past more than 15 months, officials informed.
The government has already completed development of 6,279 roads measuring a total of 26,504 kms under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, officials informed.
As many as 8,533 settlements near the new main roads had been benefitted by the projects out of 10,560 identified as per the guidelines of the scheme, they informed.
State Panchayat and Rural Development officials informed that under the scheme, a total of 9461 settlements have been approved to be benefitted from the scheme in which a total of 6,279 roads had been completed.
Chief Minister Raman Singh had recently asked the Chhattisgarh Road Development Corporation (CGRDC) officials to lay a network of 808 kilometers roads at a cost of Rs2179 crore in another 18 months time.
He directed officials to complete the laying of roads by May 2018, officials informed.
The Chief Minister also laid stress on completing the rural road connectivity projects so that the villagers can have smooth all-weather transport in the years to come.
Singh was reviewing the road development projects at the Mantralaya in Naya Raipur.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister ordered the inclusion of Dhamdha- Gandai- Salhetekri in Rajnandgaon district in the ongoing roads' network project.
The 39-kilometer road will be laid at a cost of Rs 120 crore. The officers gave a detailed presentation of the roads project being laid in the State.
Singh also called upon the senior officers to complete all the road projects by May 2018. The projects include Sakri-Ganiyari-Kota at a cost of Rs73 crore (21.8 km) , Janjgir-Pamgarh roads at a cost of Rs64 crore, Selood-Ranitarai-Patan at a cost of Rs118 crore (40.5 km), Karesera-Kamharia-Silhati roads at a cost of Rs92 crore ( 39.2 km), G.E. road-Indamara-Telkadih at a cost of Rs56.6 crore ( 20 km), Chowki-Chilhati-Korchatola at a cost of Rs 58 crore ( 22.2. km), Dongagarh-Chichola at an investment of Rs48.2 crore ( 15.3 km) Dhara-Telkadih at a cost of Rs 51.5 crore (19.4 km), Chikli-Padubatra at a cost of Rs42 crore (15.9 km).
The other road projects are Pamgarh-lahod at a cost of Rs76.5 crore (31 kilometer), Bishrampur-Datima at a cost of Rs26.7 core (10 km), Ambikapur-Pratapur at a cost of Rs 83.2 crore (40.5 km), Baramkela-Sohela at a cost of Rs91.5 crore (32 km), Gharghoda-lailoonga at cost of Rs68 crore, Dhamdha-Bemetara roads at a cost of Rs91.7 crore,, Birkona-Piparia-Umaria roads' project at a cost of Rs95 crore, Tara-Premnagar-Ramanujnagar at a cost of Rs130 crore, Kawarda-Raipur-Kamaria at a cost of Rs74.5 crore, Dondilohara-Junapani- Chowki at a cost of Rs 110 crore, Chichola-Chhuria-Kallubanjari at a cost of Rs58 crore,Pasan-Piparia-Kodgar at a cost of Rs97 crore, Seepat-Baloda-Oorga at a cost of Rs111 crore, Poojitara-Tamnagar-lailoonga at a cost of Rs146 crore, Haati-Oorga at Rs192 crore.
The Chief Minister stressed upon the need to prepare a blueprint of Ambikapur Ring road as soon as possible.
He had also reviewed the modernization and computerization of transport check posts.