NEW DELHI, April 19 ? Assam along with other North Eastern States have failed to utilise funds earmarked for construction of roads and highways under Central Road Funds (CRF), even as roads in the region continue to be in a deplorable state. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways alarmed by the trend has requested the State Governments to expedite progress of the approved works and furnish Utilisation Certificate (UCs) to facilitate the release of funds.
In order to optimise the utilisation, works amounting to at least twice the annual accrual of the State from CRF are being sanctioned, Minister of State for Road Transport and Highway, Major General (retd) B C Khanduri said. According to figures made available almost all the States have defaulted in utilising the funds in full. Assam for instance has been released Rs 3.71 crore, whereas a sum of Rs 147.3 crore has been earmarked from CRF.
Meanwhile, only 474 km of additional length of National Highways has been added in Assam since 1998-1999 by extension of NHs no 54, 151, 152, 153 and 154, the Minister said. In neighbouring Arunachal Pradesh only 40 km have been added during the period. Road length in other States includes Manipur (150 km), Meghalaya (120 km), Mizoram (376 km), Nagaland (36) and Tripura (65 km). The Minister further added that according to proposals the addition to NHs network in Assam during the Ninth Plan period is 540 km.