Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan has instructed officials from the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department to vigorously implement plans for laying 7,213 km of roads at an estimated cost of Rs 4,976 crore. The directive came during a review meeting held on Thursday with officials from the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) at the camp office in Vijayawada. During the meeting, AIIB representatives provided an update on the Andhra Pradesh Rural Road Project.
Pawan Kalyan said that road construction in rural areas is crucial for enhancing social and economic benefits and alleviating poverty. He urged officials to seek additional support from the central government for rural road construction. He highlighted the need for every village with a population exceeding 250 to be connected by roads. Kalyan expressed confidence that the project, initiated in the financial year 2018-19, could achieve significant progress if Rs 200 crore is allocated monthly for road construction. Under this project, the government will provide a matching grant of Rs 75 crore, with the remaining Rs 125 crore to be funded by the bank.
Kalyan criticised the previous government for neglecting road repairs and causing delays in bill payments, which hindered rural road development. He stressed that resolving these issues would lead to better-quality roads and enhance rural development. To ensure the smooth construction and maintenance of roads, Kalyan proposed developing a special portal for monitoring transparency in the Panchayat Raj Engineering Department’s work. This portal should include a feature for public suggestions.
Additionally, Kalyan requested the central government to reduce the state’s matching grant contribution from 30 per cent to 10 per cent for this project.
AIIB officers Farhad Ahmed, Dr Ashok Kumar, and Sivaramakrishna Shastry, along with Panchayat Raj Department Chief Engineer Balu Naik and APRRP officers CV Subba Reddy and PV Ramana Murthy, participated in the meeting.
