1,500 rural roads worth Rs 2,300 crore approved for Himachal: PWD Minister

The Central Government has approved 1,500 rural roads for Himachal Pradesh under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-IV (PMGSY-IV) at a sanctioned cost of Rs 2,300 crore, said Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Vikramaditya Singh while addressing a gathering at Chakhar in Chamba district today. He added that 65 of these roads were in Chamba district for which Rs 553.68 crore had been allocated. Under the scheme, 29 roads would be developed in the Bharmour constituency, 12 in Bhattiyat, 14 in Chamba, three in Churah and seven in Dalhousie, covering a total of 327 km of new road length in the district.

Vikramaditya performed the bhoomi pujan of the Chakhar-Sherpur road upgrade project in Tappar gram panchayat of the Dalhousie Assembly constituency in Chamba district. The road project to be completed at a cost of Rs 7 crore would benefit about 1,200 residents of Tappar panchayat.

He said that road construction under the PMGSY-III was already underway in Chamba, as 17 roads were being built at a cost of Rs 188 crore. Besides, three roads were being constructed under the CRIF scheme at a cost of Rs 70 crore and 12 roads funded by NABARD at a cost of Rs 107 crore were under construction. He added that road development projects were underway in the district at a cost of Rs 370 crore, which was in addition to the newly sanctioned funds under the PMGSY-IV.

The minister reiterated the state government’s commitment to provide road connectivity in remote and sparsely populated areas. He said that extending road connectivity to such regions was the top priority of the government. He assured the gathering that the remaining unconnected villages in Chamba district would soon be provided with road access.

Earlier in the day, Vikramaditya released a booklet related to the Dalhousie Master Plan and inspected damaged sections of the National Highway-154A. He also met with residents of various areas and listened to their grievances related to road connectivity. He assured them of addressing their issues in a phased manner.

Former Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari raised the pending demands of roads and bridges in the constituency with Vikramaditya. She expressed gratitude to the government for the approval of seven roads under the PMGSY-IV for the Dalhousie constituency. She also raised the demand of a bridge between Sherpur and Simi and sought action regarding bus permits on the Chakhar-Sherpur route. The minister assured Asha Kumari that these demands would be fulfilled in a phased manner.