Meghalaya Policy to monitor roads

SHILLONG, JULY 21: The State government today approved the Meghalaya Road Maintenance Policy for ensuring effective monitoring and maintenance of road infrastructure across the state.

“On the basis of that the Meghalaya Road Maintenance Policy has been scripted,” chief minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after a cabinet meeting held here on Friday.

He said that the policy will act as a mechanism for ensuring effective monitoring and complete road maintenance management in a much more professional way.

“It will also be identification of all the projects to be taken up under the routine maintenance and emergency maintenance in the event of natural calamities,” he added.

According to him, the whole policy will facilitate a better approach to our response in respect of maintaining the road infrastructure that have been created.

He further said that the state is investing to create infrastructure with a special focus to ensure the most needed and important access to the villages especially those considered the remotest and most difficult.

“Lots of investments are being made. Besides the fund available with the state plan we also have the fund which is dedicated for the construction of rural roads under the PMGSY,” he said.

He said that whether roads considered for fresh blacktopping or repairing under various road programmes, the most crucial part has always been maintenance of the infrastructure be it periodic or routine maintenance, apart from emergency maintenance in the wake of damage caused by natural calamity.

Asked about punishment against contractors in the state responsible for constructing roads with poor quality, the chief minister said that under the policy, there is an empowered committee for monitoring road projects which also included quality management and quality evaluation.

On the state’s slow progress in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Sangma said there has been good progress in the last four years in as far as constructing road projects under PMGSY.

PMGSY was launched by the Central government to provide connectivity to unconnected habitations in rural areas as part of a poverty reduction strategy.