Govt plans concrete roads in Maoist areas

NEW DELHI: The Centre plans to build durable concrete roads in Maoist-affected areas so that they do not have to be repaired frequently under security cover.

“Although the direct cost of building concreted roads will be 30% higher, there would be several indirect benefits in terms of longer life cycle and low repair cost,” said, JK Lakshmi Cement director Shaliendra Chouksey.

Chhattisgarh, a hotbed of Maoist, bagged about half of the Rs 1,437 crore worth contracts for roads awarded so far, said a release from the ministry of road transport and highways.

The Centre has sanctioned proposals worth Rs 4,107 crore from different states with Chhattisgarh being the highest with projects worth Rs 1,580 crore. A Rs 950 crore proposal for constructing 742 km roads was sent to the home ministry in May, a road ministry official said.

States are required to provide security during construction of roads and highways. Based on the perceived level of danger, roads have been divided into three categories:

Category 1 has roads with lowest level of danger, category 2 has some risk and category 3 the highest risk. The last category requires special protection from states. It covers 370 km of highways and 840 km of state roads. The government had previously approved development of roads and highways at Rs 7,300 crore in over three years in the Maoist-affected areas.