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₹300 crore needed to repair flood-battered road infra in Punjab
The funds are required for the restoration of 1,760 roads and bridges that were damaged by the floods in Punjab to their original condition, according to the fund requirement submitted by the Public Works Department (Bridges and Roads) and Punjab Mandi Board to the state government along with a detailed damage assessment report
The Punjab government needs ₹300 crore to repair roads, bridges, and related infrastructure damaged by heavy rains and devastating floods that hit the state last month, according to a detailed damage assessment report.
The funds are required for the restoration of 1,760 roads and bridges that were damaged by the floods in Punjab to their original condition, according to the fund requirement submitted by the Public Works Department (Bridges and Roads) and Punjab Mandi Board to the state government along with a detailed damage assessment report.
PWD (B&R) has indicated a fund requirement of ₹167 crore to repair 1,200 roads, culverts and bridges in the state, whereas the Mandi Board has pegged the cost of 641 works it proposes to undertake for repair of roads, culverts and bridges at ₹137 crore.
The heavy downpour and floods submerged the road network, mostly link roads in rural areas, in large parts of the state, washing away large portions of roads on several stretches. Patiala, Ropar, Sangrur, Fatehgarh Sahib, SAS Nagar (Mohali), and Pathankot are among the worst-hit districts, according to the damage assessment report.
A public works department official said they have already started immediate works to repair the damaged roads at an estimated cost of ₹27 crore, including ₹14 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), to resume traffic movement.
“Major repair works for the restoration of damaged roads and related infrastructure to their original condition will be carried out only after monsoon recedes,” the official said, setting September 15 as the tentative date for starting major works for the repair of roads.
The department of expenditure of the Union finance ministry released ₹218.40 crore to the state government for SDRF last month on the recommendation of the Union home ministry because of “heavy rains and associated natural disasters.”
The Punjab government has pegged the damage caused by the floods in the state in July at ₹1,285 crore as per initial estimates. A total of 1,457 villages were affected by floods in 19 districts. As the floodwaters have receded in most parts of the state, ‘special girdawari’ (field inspection) has been ordered to ascertain the loss to people due to floods.
The total length of link roads in Punjab is 64,878km, which fall under 154 market committees. The Punjab Mandi Board is the nodal agency for all link roads. However, 80 of the 154 market committees fall under the jurisdiction of PWD (B&R), which is the executing agency for roads under these committees. While the state has 8,500 km of district roads and state highways, national highways cover a distance of 4,000 km.
Mann writes to Shah, seeks relaxation in SDRF norms
Chandigarh CM Bhagwant Mann has urged Union home minister Amit Shah to relax the norms and increase the amount of compensation to flood-affected people from the State Disaster Response Funds (SDRF). The CM said he has written to the home minister that the SDRF norms are stringent and need to be relaxed to compensate people appropriately for their loss. “I spoke to the Central minister and then wrote to him. The Centre contributes 75%, and the state gives rest under SDRF,” he told the media on the sidelines of a party event here. Mann said that he suggested an increase in compensation to the victims’ families in case of death to ₹8 lakh from the present ₹4 lakh. He also said funds are available under the SDRF, but norms should be relaxed.
