Jammu and Kashmir Minister for R&B Abdul Majid Wani on February 23 said that the Union government approved revision of its core network to include as many as 1,100 left out unconnected habitations with a population of 250 persons and above in Jammu and Kashmir under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (PMGSY).
Wani said this is highly significant for Jammu and Kashmir. He added that he had recently taken up the matter with Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh and Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad and conveyed to them the urgency and immediate need for revision and extending the scheme to cover left out habitations especially in hilly areas of the state.
For the purpose, Rs 4,000 crore have been sanctioned by the Centre and DPRs of the project are being prepared. Once completed, this would increase road connectivity up to 4000 kms.
With this approval the State government’s vision for providing all weather road connectivity to both rural and remote inaccessible hilly areas would receive a significant boost. Meanwhile, the Minister said that State government also conveyed approval to the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for conducting further Geo-Technical investigations along the Batote-Doda road and prefeasibility study for construction of proposed Chenani-Sudhmahadev-Goha-Khellani alternate road to Doda district.
