PMGSY implementation tardy, admits Chief Minister

Convergent policy promulgated to address loopholes

From Staff correspondent

Shillong, July 21: Chief Minister Mukul Sangma conceded that the implementation of the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yoj (PMGSY) is tardy in the State, even as he listed the reasons.

On Friday, Sangma announced the Cabinet’s approval of the Meghalaya Roads Maintence Policy that will lead to effective monitoring, assets magement and identification of road projects that will synergise with the Centrally-sponsored PMGSY.

The Sentinel questioned why Meghalaya was far behind the rest of the country in implementation of the Centrally-funded PMGSY. The Chief Minister answered, “There are challenges. We have missed opportunities to complete in time, but we have made up for those delays in the past four years.”

With most of the PMGSY roads ending in signboards, Sangma said absence of a professiol approach led to sagging implementations. “Tenders were called and sanctions were given, but despite this work never took off in a number of cases as those involved in the process never took into consideration the process of land acquisition and available wherewithal to carry the work,” Sangma explained, adding “We could not take up the second phase since the initial phase didn’t fructify.”

Many road projects undertaken under the PMGSY since 2004 are languishing with mere spade work for multiple reasons.

The Chief Minister, however, said that the Meghalaya Road Maintence Policy will address the shortcomings, especially when it is targeted to meet the demands of sustaible magement of new roads and newly constructed roads to villages and other remote areas.  Sangma said the contractors need further orientation in this regard. He said the government will focus in three aspects of road maintence – routine, periodic and emergency magement – and committees pertaining to the objectives will be constituted.