Meghalaya Deputy CM Affirms Rs 10,000 Crore Investment in State Roads Since 2018
SHILLONG: Prestone Tynsong, the Deputy Chief Minister of Meghalaya and in charge of the Public Works Department (PWD), announced that the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government has allocated no less than Rs 10,000 crore for the extensive construction of roads across the state since the year 2018.
Tynsong expressed his amazement at the colossal investment, stating, "From 2018 till today, I think the investment we made for road connectivity is not less than Rs 10,000 crore. Can you imagine?" He emphasized the importance of maintaining construction quality, assuring that he consistently directs engineers, including junior engineers, to uphold high standards in road development.
Responding to public grievances regarding the perceived poor quality of roads, Tynsong defended the government's commitment to quality. "I have instructed all engineers till the junior engineer level that you cannot compromise the quality," he affirmed.
Addressing concerns about the deteriorating condition of rural roads, the deputy chief minister acknowledged the enormity of the task at hand, stating that addressing the backlog in road infrastructure across the state takes time.
In a parallel development, Tynsong conducted a review meeting to assess the progress of road projects in the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY). He revealed that the Central government had set a deadline for completing PMGSY-1 and PMGSY-2 projects by the end of March of the current year.
According to Tynsong, the road constructions under these two phases of PMGSY are nearing completion, and he expressed optimism about achieving 100% completion within the stipulated timeline.
Regarding the ongoing implementation of PMGSY-3, Tynsong informed that works are in progress, and some contractors have already completed their assigned tasks. Providing insights into the project details, he mentioned that PMGSY-1 and PMGSY-2 focused on connecting previously unlinked villages, while PMGSY-3 primarily involves the upgradation and re-carpeting of existing state roads, targeting a length of 1250 km.
While acknowledging the lack of detailed information on road lengths under PMGSY-1 and PMGSY-2 due to census coverage since 2003, Tynsong assured that the mission remains focused on enhancing road connectivity and infrastructure in Meghalaya.