PWD finds it tough to upgrade roads due to lack of funds

Nashik: Roads measuring nearly 300km in rural Nashik have been upgraded to the status of major district road (MDR), which means their maintenance will now be carried out by state instead of the zilla parishad. However, a lack of funds means there will hardly be any change in the quality of the severely damaged roads soon.The upgraded MDR status also means the roads will now handle a higher volume of traffic, and will be eligible for state funds for maintenance and upkeep."Upgrading to MDR is one thing, buit maintaining these roads is another. Therefore, most roads in the rural areas — except critical stretches — may hardly see significant change anytime soon," said Arundhati Sharma, the superintendent engineer, PWD, Nashik.Sharma said the department has started the work of cutting a portion of the hill in the ghat section at Gaydar Pada in Kalwan. A landslide had occurred while the work was in progress on the night of Sept 4, blocking the road completely. The body of a woman from the village, who had passed away while undergoing treatment for an illness in Gujarat, was being brought home on that day. However, because the road was blocked, the body had to be carried on a bamboo stretcher for a distance of almost 6km.Usually, upgrading the 3m wide road constructed by ZP to MDR standard costs about Rs 30 lakh per km, and widening it to 5.5m costs Rs 50 lakh per km. Roads in interior areas also need speacial treatment in the hilly and forest areas, and the cost of the construction therefore varies.Another senior officer said the PWD sends the proposals for the upgradation of roads to govt, but the sanctioning happens in very low numbers and that too only for the critical issues."At most, the PWD can undertake works in about 100km only, that too in a single stretch, for the critical works. Since the cost is higher, the work on other sections has to wait for a few years. These roads will be in terrible shape during monsoon for years to come," said the officer.