Highways maintenance: Onus on MP, says Centre

INDORE: The Centre has put the blame on the state government for the poor condition of national highways passing through the state. In a letter to the state, Union minister for surface transport CP Joshi alleged that the state has failed to get works on highways executed under the 'defect liability period'.
Joshi in the letter said, "According to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) the roads which were earlier maintained by the state Public Works Department had gone into disrepair during the 'defect liability perioda.'
He stated the Centre was doing its bit and that the state government should shoulder its responsibility to maintain roads.The contractors should be taken to task for lapses in maintenance, he said.
The minister mentioned the stretches between Indore-Betul (101 km) Gwalior-Shivpuri (125 km), Shivpuri-Dewas (330 km), Jabalpur-Rewa-Katni (210 km) Jabalpur-Lakhnadon (74 km) and Shahganj-Obaidullaganj- Betul (141 km) are in advanced stage of statutory clearance and implementation by the NHAI.
Besides, the Centre has made Madhya Pradesh Road Development Corporation (MPRDC) as a nodal agency under the public private partnership (PPP) for maintenance of four other NHs Jabalpur-Bhopal (290 km), Beora-Rajgarh-UP to Rajasthan border (66 km), Jabalpur-Mandla (189 km), and Katni-Shahdol- Anuppur(240 km).
Of 4,709 kms stretch that comes under the Madhya Pradesh region, 3,827 km road is in bad shape. The Surface Transport Ministry has directed the NHAI to reconstruct the stretch.
Box-
NH bad patch stretch NH 3- Gwalior to Dewas 517 km
NH 7- Rewa to Lakhnadon 300 km
NH 12 Jabalpur to Bhopal 290 km
NH 32 (extension) Beora to Rajasthan border- 66 km
NH 12 (A) Jabalpur to Chilpi -189 km
NH 59 (A) Indore- Betul- 277 km
NH 69 Obaidullahganj to Betul- 141 km
NH 78 Katni- Shahdol- Anuppur (Chhattisgarh border)- 240 km
NH 86 Sagar- Chhatarpur-UP Bordera" 86 km
NH 86 (extension) Bhopal-Raisen-Sanchi- 68 km
NH 86 (extension) Sanchi to Sagar -119 km