Shimla

Himachal Pradesh minister Vikramaditya Singh on Saturday called on Union Minister for Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan in New Delhi and took up the issue of pending road projects in extremely remote and high altitude area of Dodra Kwar in Shimla district.

Singh, Himachal's public works minister, appraised Chouhan that a portion of the road sanctioned for the Dodra Kwar area under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) Phase-I has not yet been completed "due to extremely tough geographical conditions, difficult terrain, harsh weather and a very limited working season".

He said the road is highly critical for the rural population there, for disaster management and emergency health services and the supply of essential commodities.

Singh requested for special relaxations, additional financial support and technical assistance for the pending road construction in Dodra Kwar and other Phase-I work to ensure all-weather road connectivity.

Dodra Kwar remains cut off from the rest of the state for about four months during winters following snowfall.

Singh informed during the meeting that for Himachal Pradesh, rural road projects of about 1,500 km length have been sanctioned under the central project at an estimated cost of around Rs 2,300 crore.

He also presented a detailed progress report on the road projects sanctioned for Himachal Pradesh under Phase IV of the PMGSY and other in-progress work.

Singh appealed to all public representatives, panchayat representatives and land owners to extend maximum cooperation to the department by providing gift deeds for land, so that land required for road construction is made available in time and the maximum number of uncovered habitations in the state can be connected through the road network.

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Active cooperation of the people will help in developing the remotest and most deprived areas, he said.

Chouhan expressed sensitivity towards the needs of Himachal Pradesh and assured that pending packages of Dodra Kwar, other residual work of PMGSY-I and required financial approvals would be taken up on priority with the Ministry of Finance and other concerned authorities, the statement added.