E-Paper
Increase Himachal’s annual allocation under central road and infra fund: Vikramaditya urges Gadkari
In his communication, Vikramaditya informed Gadkari that although the Centre allocated ₹143.77 crore to Himachal for FY 2025-26 including ₹120.63 crore for roads and ₹23.14 crore for bridges under the Setu Bandhan scheme, the bridge-related funds have not yet been released despite the submission of utilisation certificates
The PWD and urban development minister of Himachal Pradesh, Vikramaditya Singh, has written to Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, requesting an increase in the state’s annual allocation under the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) and immediate release of pending dues to speed up restoration of rain-damaged roads.
In his communication, Vikramaditya informed Gadkari that although the Centre allocated ₹143.77 crore to Himachal Pradesh for FY 2025-26 including ₹120.63 crore for roads and ₹23.14 crore for bridges under the Setu Bandhan scheme, the bridge-related funds have not yet been released despite the submission of utilisation certificates.
Singh further said the state had already spent ₹1,551.64 crore on CRIF works up to September 2025 and corresponding utilisation certificates had been submitted. However, only ₹1,457.23 crore has been released so far, leaving ₹94.41 crore still due from the ministry.
Singh emphasised that unprecedented monsoon damage this year had severely affected road infrastructure across Himachal. With the state budgeting ₹200 crore for CRIF works in the current financial year and already spending ₹54.75 crore by September, the minister warned that restoration efforts require significantly higher central support.
“The lives of lakhs of people in Himachal Pradesh would be positively impacted if the present allocation of funds for roads is enhanced to ₹200 crore for the current and subsequent years,” Singh wrote, urging an amendment in the Centre’s allocation criteria for hill states and the release of the pending ₹94.41 crore without delay.
