Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel has written to Union rural development minister Narendra Singh Tomar seeking ₹1,100 crore for the construction of steel bridges to ensure rural connectivity in the state.
In a letter to Tomar, Baghel said the state government has identified 454 long-span bridges (LSB) including 250 steel bridges for construction, which will cost approximately ₹1,100 crore.
Baghel said with the construction of these bridges, tribal and rural populations will have better road connectivity which will enable the state to bring them to mainstream development.
He said the Bastar division is Maoist-hit and has a geographical disadvantage due to dense forests and borders with other states. Till now, 1,375 roads (7,228 km) have been constructed in Bastar Division and 692 more (3,009 km) are under construction.
“Due to Maoist activities and time-consuming construction time, long-span bridges are not feasible on these roads. Instead, construction of steel bridges is preferred owing to the prefabricated nature of steel bridges thus reducing the construction time,” Baghel wrote.
He emphasised that even maintenance and upgradation time is also significantly less for steel bridges and these bridges can be relocated or shifted conveniently.
{{/usCountry}}He emphasised that even maintenance and upgradation time is also significantly less for steel bridges and these bridges can be relocated or shifted conveniently.
{{/usCountry}}Baghel said the Chhattisgarh government is committed to constructing rural roads as part of a multifaceted approach to reduce Maoist activities.
Chhattisgarh has a rural population of 76% of which the majority are tribals. The forest cover of Chhattisgarh amounts to approximately 44% of the total geographical area.
Baghel wrote the state has till now constructed 7.300 rural roads amounting to 33,622 km along with 264 LSB including nine steel bridges. He added 1,240 roads (7737 km) along with 114 LSB are under construction.