(a) whether road network in the country is sufficient to cater to the requirement and needs of the people and their movement;
(b) if not, whether the Government has made any study to assess the requirement;
(c) if so, the details thereof along with the action taken thereon;
(d) whether the Government proposes to improve road network in Maharashtra including Vidharba; and
(e) if so, the action taken thereon?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ROAD TRANSPORT AND HIGHWAYS (SHRI KRISHANPAL GURJAR)
(a) to (c) To cater to the need of increased traffic the Government has taken up capacity augmentation programme of National Highways (NHs) under National Highway Development Project (NHDP), Special Accelerated Road Development Programme for the North-Eastern region (SARDP-NE), Special road development programme for the areas affected with Left Wing Extremism (LWE) and National Highway Interconnectivity Improvement Programme (NHIIP). Besides these programmes, development works on NHs including widening of NHs are also taken up under National Highway (Original) {NH(O)} under Annual Plan.
(d) and (e) This Ministry is primarily responsible for development and maintenance of NHs. Towards improvement of NH network in the State of Maharashtra including Vidharba region, the Government has approved Annual Plan for Rs. 2,312 crore for the year 2014-15, which inter-alia includes feasibility studies / detailed engineering for 2/4/6-laning & construction of Railway Over / Under Bridges (ROBs/RUBs), rehabilitation of existing weak pavements, widening to 2-lane with paved shoulders, construction of grade separators/ROBs, road safety measures, etc. Further, to augment connectivity 851 km of State roads have been declared as new NHs in State of Maharashtra including Vidharba region during 2014-15.