Uttarakhand Chief Secretary directs Public Work and Rural Work Department to ensure maintenance of roads constructed under PMGSY

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], October 10 : Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Radha Raturi on Friday directed the Public Works Department and Rural Works Department (RWD) to hold a joint meeting to decide the responsibility of maintenance of rural roads constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) and to set clear criteria related to the allocation of work for construction and maintenance of roads.
CS Raturi has directed the Public Works Department and Rural Works Department to clearly demarcate the works related to the construction and maintenance of roads. She has instructed that works of similar nature should be done by the same agency, an official press release stated.
According to the press release, CS Raturi has also directed to carry out a comparative study of the systems adopted for the construction and maintenance of PMGSY roads in other states. CS has directed to adopt the best system to improve the quality, condition and durability of rural roads. She has directed to give priority to better use of resources, healthy competition between two or more departments and improvement in the condition of roads in the maintenance of rural roads.
CS Raturi directed that proper maintenance of roads constructed under PMGSY is necessary for easy access to remote areas, especially in case of disaster. In a meeting related to maintenance works of rural roads constructed under PMGSY chaired by the Chief Secretary in the Secretariat today, it was informed that the responsibility of construction of rural roads in Uttarakhand under PMGSY is mainly carried out by Uttarakhand Rural Road Development Agency (URRDA). Presently, after construction, the maintenance of these roads is being done by the Public Works Department. Rural Construction Department (RWD) also has extensive experience in construction and maintenance of roads and this department also intends to participate in this process. In the meeting, a detailed discussion was held on the suitability of handing over the responsibility of maintenance of roads constructed under PMGSY by various departments.
As per the release, Secretary Radhika Jha, Pankaj Kumar Pandey along with officials of Public Works Department, Rural Construction Department and other related departments were present in the meeting.