Odisha to spend Rs 1,870 crore for concrete roads to villages

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha government will spend about Rs 1,870 crore on construction of concrete roads in all gram panchayats in the next three years.

"The state government will spend Rs 623.60 crore per annum for the next three years for making pucca roads in all gram panchayats. Each of the 6,236 gram panchayats will be allocated Rs 10 lakh starting 2013-14," Panchayati Raj Minister Kalpataru Das said after attending a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Work for the pucca roads will start from April, the minister said.

In a bid to maintain transparency, the government also decided to engage village level committees for the construction of the roads instead of giving works to contractors.

Under the new scheme, around 48,000 villages, which have not been covered under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and other schemes, will get better connectivity.

The chief minister has also directed the departments to give priority to the gram panchayats which are inhabited by tribals and dalits, Das said.