Official records show that 53 bridges and 924 kilometres of road were approved under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-1, and 11 of those projects are still unfinished.
According to the documents, the Indian government informed representatives of Jammu and Kashmir last month that 24 roads totaling 17 kilometres under PMGSY-11 and 400 totaling 907 kilometres with 53 bridges under PMGSY-1 remain unfinished.
The topic was discussed at the pre-empowered committee meeting on June 9, 2023, which was conducted to go through the project proposals for bridges for PMGSY-111 that the UT Government of Jammu & Kashmir had submitted.
Senior representatives of the Centre and the J-K government were present at the meeting, which was presided over by the Additional Secretary for Rural Development and the Director General of the National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA).
The Jammu and Kashmir government was questioned about whether the work will be finished by the extended deadline, which is March 2024, according to the meeting minutes.
However, the J-K government warned the Centre that due to the lack of a forest clearing, six bridges, 80-85 kilometres of roads, and PMGSY-1 may not be finished.
The official of the J-K government is quoted in the record note as saying, “Other works will be finished by November 2023.”
The Jammu & Kashmir Government was also instructed to pick up the pace during the conference in order to fulfill the 2023–24 goal. (KNO)
