Rs 10,000 crore for road repairs

Mumbai: After receiving flak for the potholed roads across the state, the public works department (PWD) ministry will start repair work on 30,000 km stretch of roads beginning January next year but the work order for the roads will be issued in October. Banks have agreed to grant loans for road repair, which is expected to cost around Rs 10,000 crore. There have been quite a few instances of deaths reported in the state due to potholes. Even the Bombay high court had rapped the state for not maintaining and repairing roads.

Chandrakant Patil, the PWD minister, even held a meeting with banks to seek loans for the road repair work. The banks have agreed to issue loans, as it does not involve any kind of land acquisition. “We will be getting loans from the banks. As the roads already belong to the PWD, it does not involve any dispute. It’s true that the road condition is bad, but the reason is that the roads were never constructed as per norms. They were just repaired which has loosened the base. So even if temporary arrangements are made, the potholes are created,” said a PWD official.

The official conceded the need for urgent action on the roads but said that work would only begin in January.

“Working on the roads is very difficult now because the rains have not yet stopped. The rain washes everything away. Now that the banks have agreed to give loans, we will issue tenders in October and the work order will be issued in January,” he said.

The official added that many of the roads do not come under the PWD, like the Mumbai-Goa road, which is a national highway. “Initially, we will be constructing all the major roads that connect distant places. Then in the second phase, the other roads will be taken into consideration. Also, the work will be done as per the norms, which was overlooked previously,” he added.