2.8. Measures Taken for Improving Rural Road Infrastructure by Government

Rural roads connect villages giving access to rural population to the National Highways through Major District Roads and State Highways. Around 59 per cent of the total road length is accounted by rural roads largely built under Jawahar Rojgar Yojna. These roads are of limited value from the point of view of movement of heavy traffic. Some of the government's measures to improve rural road infrastructure are as follows:-

♤ Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched on 25th December 2000 as a fully funded Centrally Sponsored Scheme to provide all weather road connectivity in rural areas of the country. The programme envisages connecting all habitations with a population of 500 persons and above in the plain areas and 250 persons and above in hill States, the tribal and the desert areas.

♤ The District Rural Roads Plans (DRRPs) have been developed for all the districts of the country and Core Network has been drawn out of the DRRP to provide for at least a single connectivity to every target habitation. This planning exercise has been carried out with full involvement of the three tier Panchayati Raj Institutions.

♤ Large scale revision of Rural Roads Manual were carried out by IRC at the special intervention of Ministry of Rural Development. This Manual has established the standards for construction of Rural Roads.

♤ A three tier quality mechanism has been operationalised to ensure quality of road works during construction.

♤ There is a provision of two bills of quantities, one for construction and another for routine maintenance on lump-sum basis amount every year for 5 years and the contactor is required to offer not only for construction but also for maintenance separately. This helps in delivery of better quality roads because if the quality of road is compromised by the contractor during construction, much more money would be required during the routine maintenance rendering the contract uneconomical for the contractor.

♤ A web based online monitoring, management and accounting system has been developed under the PMGSY. The online system and website is being managed and maintained in collaboration with NIC and CDAC.

♤ The Central Government has created a dedicated fund, called Central Road Fund through collection of cess from petrol and diesel. Presently, Rs. 2/- per litre is collected as cess on petrol and High Speed Diesel (HSD) Oil. The fund is distributed for development and maintenance of National Highways, State Roads and Rural Roads.

♤ Special construction technology to tackle the construction of roads in the hilly regions would be adopted to ensure quality roads within a specific time frame.

♤ Promoting participation of private operators on non viable semi urban/rural routes through favourable policy regime. This could be achieved through following options:-

◦ Auctioning of combination of routes (which are a mix of profitable and non viable routes) to private operator(s) so as to enable them to compensate their losses on account of operation of non viable routes;

◦ Offering non viable routes to bidder asking for lowest subsidy/financial support;

◦ Subjecting non viable routes to lower rates of taxation or permit fees and;

◦ Allowing alternate competing modes of passenger road transport.