Question : Construction of Roads under PMGSY

(a) the total length of roads sanctioned and constructed in the country under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) along with status of roads during each of the last five years, State/UT and district-wise including Parbhani, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg and Osmanabad Constituencies of Maharashtra, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep;

(b) whether any criteria is prescribed for construction of roads under PMGSY and if so, the details thereof;

(c) the details of institutions authorized in the States to evaluate the criteria under PMGSY;

(d) whether the recommendation letter of the common citizen is also considered in respect of construction of roads under PMGSY, if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;

(e) whether any complaints of negligence in repair work of the roads have been received and if so, the details thereof along with the action taken against the culprits; and

(f) whether the Government has set up any deadline to complete all roads by the end of the year 2022 and if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH)

(a) to (f) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.



The statement referred to in reply to Parts (a) to (f) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. *29 due for answer on 19.07.2022.

(a) As on 13th July, 2022, a total of 7,93,568 km road length has been sanctioned under various interventions/verticals of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), against which a total of 7,12,223 Km road length has been completed. The details of the road length sanctioned and constructed state-wise under various interventions/verticals of PMGSY during each of the last five years are given in Annexure-I.

The state-wise, district-wise and year-wise details of road length sanctioned and constructed in the country under various interventions of PMGSY may be accessed at the programme website omms.nic.in=>progress monitoring=>Financial Year wise Achievement.

As regards details of the road length sanctioned and constructed in the districts of Parbhani, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Osmanabad districts of Maharashtra during each of the last five years is concerned, the details are given in Annexure-II.

Union Territories of Dadar Nagar Haveli and Lakshadweep have not submitted project proposals for sanction under PMGSY.

(b & c) Rural roads under PMGSY are constructed and maintained as per the technical specifications and geometric design standards given in the Ministry of Rural Development Specifications for Rural Roads, Rural Roads Manual of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) (IRC-SP:20) and also, where required, the Hill Road Manual (IRC:SP:48) and other relevant IRC Codes & Manuals.

There is a detailed process and procedure laid down in the programme guidelines for scrutiny and subsequent sanction of projects proposals under PMGSY which includes scrutiny of proposals by the State Technical Agencies (STAs), which are the prestigious engineering colleges in the State and on sample basis by Principal Technical Agencies (PTAs) which are reputed Technical and Research Institutions such as the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). Thereafter, National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA), a technical arm of the Ministry also scrutinizes DPRs on a sample basis. The list of STAs and PTAs is given at Annexure-III.

(d) Recommendation letters received from common citizens for construction of any specific road are forwarded to the concerned State Government for taking suitable action and for inclusion in the list of candidate roads if the same are found to be in accordance with the relevant programme guidelines.

Besides, there is a laid down procedure in the programme guidelines for consultation with general public and public representatives at the time of preparation of candidate list of roads and preparation of DPR. The priority list of roads is approved by Block Parishad/ Zila Panchayat which involves public representation.

(e) Rural road is a state subject and maintenance of roads is the responsibility of the concerned state governments. All complaints either received directly in the Ministry or through Meri Sadak App (developed for registering feedback and complaints by common citizen) are sent to the concerned State Governments for redressal, which is monitored by the Ministry regularly.

National Quality Monitors appointed by the Ministry are also deputed to check the quality of maintenance work on PMGSY roads. If any works are found having unsatisfactory grading, the concerned state governments are asked to get it rectified/ repaired.

Further, as a measure of further enhancing the focus on maintenance of roads during the defect liability period and also streamlining the delivery of routine maintenance of PMGSY roads, Electric Maintenance of Rural Roads (eMARG) has been introduced, which is conceptualized on Performance Based Maintenance Contracts (PBMC). Payment to the contractor is now made through eMARG which is based on the minimum condition of road, its cross drainage works and traffic assets. Payments are based on how well the contractor manages to comply with the performance standards or service levels defined in the contract, and not on piece work.

(f) The Government of India has fixed a deadline for completion of all works under PMGSY-I & II by September, 2022 and for projects under Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) is March, 2023. The implementation period of PMGSY-III is upto March, 2025.
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