The total number of rural roads in Tiruvarur district laid under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is all set to cross the 400 mark soon.
The objective of the PMGSY, launched as a 100 per cent Centrally sponsored scheme in December 2000, was to provide all weather-road access to unconnected habitations having a population of 500 persons and above by utilising the cess levied by the Union government on the high-speed diesel.
Under PMGSY-I scheme during 10 financial years ending with 2018-19, a total of 293 roads with 27 long-span bridges (LSB) were laid for a distance of 602.81 kilometres at a cost of ₹324.59 crore in the district. Subsequently, under the PMGSY-II scheme implemented on the Cost Sharing Basis during the financial years 2017-18 and 2018-19, ₹207.27 crore was spent to lay 73 roads with 11 LSBs covering a distance of 222.02 kilometres.
Now, with the Central government launching the PMGSY-III in 2019-20, another 38 rural roads would be laid for a distance of 134.27 kilometres at a cost of ₹105.04 crore, according to official sources.
In Thanjavur district, 302 roads with 2 LSBs were laid covering a total road length of 563.45 kilometres at a cost of ₹138.06 crore under the PMGSY-I and 22 roads were laid for a total distance of 87.89 kilometres by spending ₹45.88 crore under the PMGSY-II scheme.
It has been proposed to lay 19 roads under the PMGSY-III scheme covering a distance of 71.27 kilometres at a cost of ₹36.97 crore, official sources added.
A one-day workshop on the PMGSY-III scheme for the officials involved in the exercise was conducted by the District Rural Development Agencies of Tiruvarur and Thanjavur districts recently at the respective District Collectorates as part of the Independence Day celebrations.
