2.9. Suggestions for Better Rural Road Network

It is essential that for quick development of rural road network concerted effort is required during planning which should begin at gross root level by associating the concerned village folk and by convincing them that appropriate quality of road constructed with appropriate technology would meet their requirement and this would be maintained and upgraded with their association. All possible resources should be mobilized for raising the necessary funds. Some of the possible suggestions are:

♤ A feeling has to be created in rural people that they are getting or building an asset for themselves and future generation instead of having a feeling that government is building a road and that the major beneficiaries are the government agencies or the contractor. In other words they should have feeling of belonging instead of detachment.

♤ If Villagers are made aware about their minimum needs and assured that all assistance will be forthcoming for proper maintenance and continuous upgrading of the road with time and need, they will have a cooperative attitude and would assist in many ways during the initial construction, or subsequent maintenance.

♤ Land consolidation work can be taken up simultaneously to planning. The land for access road along with raising of the track and proper drainage of the village should also be considered with other facilities for the village during land consolidation. The land for access road on embankment may be considered similar to land reserved for Panchayat land and other common facilities to the village.

♤ In some cases the village get submerged by the flood of a nearby river. In that case protection of village by bunds/dykes can be considered and these “bunds” will also provide access roads on embankment. But the drainage of village has to be adequately planned in these cases otherwise any opening in the ‘bund’ for cross drainage works, may flood the village by back flow when water level is higher on the other side.

♤ The quality of road to be constructed has to be planned and will depend upon the subgrade soil properties, level of water table, quantity and quality of anticipated traffic and level of maintenance to be provided. The simplest and first stage of road construction is a properly cambered formation, with reasonable shoulder width and drainage system.

♤ The road construction work can be taken up in lean farming period, where by free (if managed) or cheap labour could be available. Similarly the timely maintenance of rural roads is essential. This is from the consideration that once damage starts in rural earthen roads it will develop at a much faster pace compared to higher grade roads. Any neglect will totally undo the assets created in past and instead of upgrading at a later date, only in

first stage construction has to be repeated every time afresh. The standard of road should be continuously raised and adequately maintained over the future years.

♤ At least some part of land revenue collected from the villages could be ploughed back for their development and a minimum percentage of land revenue should be earmarked for rural roads also.

♤ Another source of raising fund for the rural road development could be, levying a sort of a cess on the saleable produce. This could be collected from the farmers at the market place, sugar mills, rice mills, etc. Many market places (Mandies) do levy a cess on the parked vehicles and produce sold, for the development of market place and for the facilities provided. Even the private wholesale dealers charge commission over the sale. At present most to the farm produce is purchased by the governmental agencies and the price offered s according to the rates fixed by the government, thus the cess to be collected may form a part of the price offered. The cess collected from market place may be distributed amongst the villages feeding the market place.

♤ Village Panchayats can also collect a type of ‘Road Tax’ from the vehicles in the village. The

rates could be different for different types of vehicles.

♤ A toll tax can be collected by panchayat from the vehicles visiting the village.

♤ Banks can also be asked to liberalize their policy and should consider advancing loans to villages at nominal interest for construction of rural roads providing access to the village which would not involve greater risks than that of existing procedure of advancing loans to artisans, etc. for setting up their shop, workshop etc. for increasing the income.

♤ Industrial houses, commercial undertakings, banks etc. can also be asked to adopt villages for upliftment. Villages selected should be similar to selection of poor families in a village or district for their upliftment. These families are given some fund for raising their means of livelihood.

♤ The government can also provide matching grant to the funds raised by Panchayat by tax collection, donation, etc. for access road construction to backward villages.

♤ By proper training and motivation of the personnel involved in the construction and maintenance of these, as well as increasingly adopting appropriate technological methods that have been developed, better rural roads can be built.