GUWAHATI, May 13 ? State PWD Minister Sarat Borkataky today informed that a proposal under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana had been submitted to the Government of India for conversion of the earth and gravel roads of the State connecting areas with over 1000 population to black-topped roads by the end of the year 2003.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion of completion of one year in the office by the incumbent Government, the PWD Minister further informed that all damaged black-topped roads would be upgraded and all the earth and gravel roads connecting areas with over 500 population would be black-topped by the year 2007 under this programme. The minister said while the government was focussing on improving road connectivity in rural Assam, it would also take up repair works of major roads in urban areas.
Meanwhile, repair of timber bridges has been taken up by the State PWD on the basis of the importance of respective bridges in increasing connectivity. The Minister informed that when the present Government took charge, out of a total of 5852 semi-permanent timber bridges in plain districts of the State, 2554 were in damaged condition while 93 were non-existent. He also informed that at the time of his assuming charge of the department last May, there was not a single drum of bitumen in the stores of PWD for repairing roads.
The department in 2001-2002 purchased about 2500 MT of bitumen at the cost of Rs 4 crore and the same was distributed among all the 44 road divisions of the PWD in the State to start repairing of black-topped roads, he said.