Himachal: 294 road-related proposals worth ₹2,271 cr have received Centre's nod, says minister

SHimla, A number of 294 road-related proposals, natural covering a cumulative length ranging from 50 to 140 km, feature been sanctioned in precept by the Union government for Himachal Pradesh, said the state's Public Works Minister Vikramaditya Singh on Thursday.Addressing the media here, he said the formal sanction for these projects amounting to ₹2,271 crore is expected to be received in due course of time.The approval will pave the way for connecting 111 habitations under Pradhan Mantri Janjatiya Unnat Gram Abhiyan and Pradhan Mantri Anusuchit Jaati Abhyuday Yojana ."In principle, 294 proposals, covering a cumulative length ranging from 50 to 140 km and amounting to ₹2,271 crore, have been considered and approved. The formal sanction for these projects is expected to be received in due course of time", the minister informed.Approved in principle implies a preliminary, tentative agreement that a proposal is acceptable, subject to final details being worked out and all conditions being met.Singh said the state government had requested the Centre that all the 148 roads constructed under the first stage of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana , which require upgradation, be included under the PMGSY-IV programme.After persistent follow-up, this request was incorporated in the PMGSY-IV and guidelines were issued by the Ministry of Rural Development on December 24, 2024, he said.Subsequently, the department conducted a Gram Sadak Survey covering 1,604 habitations through the digital application link provided by MoRD. Based on the survey, 1,100 habitations with 250-plus unconnected population or partially-connected tracks were identified and approved on the NRIDA portal through a 100 per cent digitised process, the minister said.Following this, a Comprehensive New Connectivity Priority List was generated on the MoRD portal automatically for each block and was duly consented to by the MPs concerned and members of the Zila Parishad, he added.Land donors were then requested to donate land voluntarily for road alignment. Wherever land was donated, Land Availability Certificates were uploaded on the MoRD portal as part of mandatory documentation.A total of 294 Detailed Project Reports were prepared and scrutinised by the National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, followed by technical verification by BITS Pilani, acting as the Principal Technical Agency. Further, the ministry's technical teams conducted field verifications at various project sites across the state.Upon completion of all required compliances, the state requested the Centre to convene the Pre-Empowered Committee meeting under the chairmanship of the Joint Secretary , which was held on August 28.The queries and observations raised by the PEC were addressed by the department, enabling submission of all proposals before the Empowered Committee , chaired by the Secretary, MoRD, Singh said.This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.