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Nagpur: Chief Minister of Maharashtra has launched the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Vikas Yojana (Chief Minister Road Development Scheme) to create a network of roads in rural areas. In order to expedite the development schemes and plans to the rural areas, this scheme was launched under the Pradhan Mandtri Gram Sadak Yojana. However, certain doubts are slowly creeping up in the execution of this scheme in Chief Minister’s own district.
It could be mentioned that the State Government had made it mandatory for 15% amounts from the District Development Funds to be used for this road development scheme. However, the Nagpur District Planning Committee has refused to release the funds for this scheme. A proposal for the road development scheme was already approved in a meeting chaired by Guardian Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. This decision of the District Planning Committee seems to be causing a dent into the ambitious plans of the Chief Minister.
This year, there are about Rs 350 crores allocated for the development of the district. Last year an amount of Rs 300 crores were received for the development of the district. Of this Rs 300 crores, Rs 52 crores was spent on Jal Yukta Siwar Yojana (Water Management Programme). This year, Rs 25 crores has been reserved for the Jal Yukta Siwar Yojana. Therefore the District will get to use an amount of Rs 325 crores for the remaining development schemes.
Elections are slated to be conducted this year, and the government is striving to utilize as much funds as possible on various development works. If the government’s directives are to be followed approximately Rs 50 crores will have to be spent on development of roads in the district. The government had made it mandatory to utilize 15% funds for the Chief Minister’s Road Development Scheme, but DPC has refused to release the funds for the road development projects.
It appears that the DPC is not serious about the ambitious Chief Minister’s Road Development Scheme and does not intend to adhere to the government’s directives of spending the mandatory 15% funds on the development of roads in rural areas.
