Centre raps Punjab for tardy progress

Thursday, 27/09/2012

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CHANDIGARH: The union government has pulled up the AkaliBJP government for being sluggish and doing little spadework on building the road network in border districts of Punjab under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Union minister fo r r ural development, drinking water and sanitation Jairam Ramesh, in a communiqué to chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on September 19, said, “I am writing to convey to you my disappointment at the slow pace at which Punjab has taken up the task of preparing detailed project reports in spite of my best efforts to accelerate consideration and clearance. It has been nearly six months that I had informed the state government about its entitlement to about 1,900 km for upgradation of roads under the PMGSY.”

Ramesh said the pre-empowered committee meeting to consider proposals from Punjab under the PMGSY was held on September 18.

“At the meeting, Punjab came up with proposals from only seven districts for about 400 km. Only when the state government representatives were told that it was a half-hearted effort on their part did they promise to go back and submit proposals of another 675 km of roads,” Ramesh told Badal in the communiqué.

Administrative secretary, public works department (buildings and roads) PS Aujla was not available for comment on why officials concerned did not submit detailed project reports on the sanctioned road network in time under the PMGSY.

Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Sunil Jakhar, who on Tuesday demanded an emergency session of the Punjab assembly to debate on the siphoning off of central grants by the SAD-BJP government, said Badal never missed an opportunity to accuse the Congress-led UPA government of being discriminatory towards interests of Punjab.

“However, when the Centre allocates money to P unjab under various schemes and projects, the state government, instead of utilising it for the desired purpose, siphons off the money for its own political considerations. It is a big scam and that’s why we want to have a detailed debate on the issue on the floor of the House,” added Jakhar.

Inquiries by Hindustan Times revealed that the union government had sanctioned Rs 350 crore for the road network to be built in border districts of Punjab in the 2011-12 financial year. Of this amount, the Centre had given Rs 164.61 crore to the state government. However, the latter submitted utilisation certificates of only Rs 61.49 crore to the Centre.

After visiting the border districts of Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Tarn Taran and Pathankot in May, Ramesh had announced a special border area package of Rs 800 crore under the PMGSY. Addressing a conference on rural development policies here on May 12, the minister had asked the state government to prepare a comprehensive proposal in this regard.