In spite of numerous claims made by the state and the Centre about the need for improving infrastructure, particularly the roads, the truth seems far away. The Indian Express presents a report card of the state’s road projects. The data made available by the West Bengal State Rural Development Agency on the progress of construction works under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana shows a dismal implementation of the Centre’s programme — one of the six components of the UPA’s Bharat Nirman scheme.
Decoding Numbers
* The progress of work has gradually declined since 2004-05. It is the same period when a dedicated agency — the WBSRDA — took up the work of the implementation of the PMGSY in the state.
* The targets were achieved in the beginning years of the scheme being launched. But it started slowing down. Out of the 152 roads that were sanctioned in 2004-05, only 70 roads have been completed. Similarly, in the financial year 2005-06 the construction of 129 roads were sanctioned by the Centre in assistance with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and 233 roads were sanctioned under PMGSY. A year later, only 35 of 129 roads sanctioned with the ADB’s assistance were completed. For the PMGSY scheme it was more dismal as only two of 233 roads were completed.
* Malda and South 24 Parganas districts top the list of worst performers in the state. While 39 per cent of the sanctioned work has been completed in Malda till March 2007, the situation in South 24 Parganas is slightly better with 49 per cent of work being completed.
* Around 50 to 55 per cent of the sanctioned works have been completed in Midnapore (East and West), North 24 Parganas, Burdwan and Birbhum districts.
* While the progress of West Bengal relative to other states is quite good (around 70 per cent), it could solely be attributed to the excellent progress in the initial years. But in 2005-06, the progress is only around 30 per cent of the target, which is lower than Haryana, Gujarat, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Punjab.
PMSGY: A Chronology
* On December 25, 2000, the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) was launched to connect all habitations in rural areas. A target was set to connect all habitations with a population of more than 1000 within three years and every habitation with a population of more than 500 by the end of 10th Five Year Plan period. In the hilly and tribal areas, the objective was to connect habitations with a population of 250 persons and above.
* Though rural roads are the State’s subject, the PMGSY is a 100 per cent centrally sponsored scheme.
* The West Bengal State Rural Development Agency was established on November 10, 2003 as an executive agency under Panchayat and Rural Development Department to implement the scheme. Earlier, the Zilla Parishads and the Panchayat and Rural Development Department carried it out.
* In his address to the Parliament on December 25, 2005, the then President APJ Abdul Kalam announced a major plan for rebuilding rural India and had called it “Bharat Nirman”. Rural connectivity was identified as one of the six components of Bharat Nirman.
