Lok Sabha Question No. 2176 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-12-20
Subject: PMGSY-III in Kerala
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: M. P. Abdussamad Samadani

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2176

ANSWERED ON 20/12/2022

## PMGSY-III IN KERALA

## 2176.   DR. M.P. ABDUSSAMAD SAMADANI:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has noticed the difficulties faced in utilizing the amount allotted to Kerala under the PMGSY-III scheme and the action taken by the Government in this regard;
- (b) the details of the progress in the construction of roads allotted to Kerala;
- (c) the details of the State technical agencies of PMGSY project in Kerala;
- (d) the number of roads which given technical clearance by each of these agencies till date from January 2022 district-wise;
- (e) whether the Government has noticed that due to the delay in the implementation of PMGSY-III project, the dilapidated parts of these roads were partially upgraded by utilizing other funds and therefore excluded from the list of PMGSY and the remaining part is dilapidated without construction;
- (f) if so, whether the Government has any plan of action to resolve this issue; and
- (g) the details of steps being taken to avoid technical hurdles due to steep gradients in hilly areas and rural areas?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a)  &  (b)     The  State  of  Kerala  has  been  allocated  target  of  1,425  Km  road  length  under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY)-III, against which the State has so far been sanctioned 686.232 Km at an estimated cost of Rs. 471.81 crore. As reported by the State Government, 68.10 Km road length has already been completed with an expenditure of Rs. 37.62 crore. The intervention/vertical- wise progress of construction of roads sanctioned to the State of Kerala can be accessed on citizen section of programme website www.omms.nic.in> Proposals > Statewise list of roads.

(c) & (d) There are two State Technical Agencies empanelled in the State of Kerala, namely College of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and National Institute of Technology, Calicut,  Kerala.  Total  3  Nos  of  roads  have  been  technically  scrutinized  by  the  College  of Engineering, Thiruvananthapuram since January, 2022, 2 roads covering length 8.16 Km in Idukki district and 1 road covering length 5.71 Km in Kollam district.

(e) & (f) The projects under PMGSY are sanctioned based on the project proposals submitted by the respective State Governments. The proposals received from the State Government are scrutinized  at  various  levels  in  the  National  Rural  Infrastructure  Development  Agency (NRIDA)  and  Ministry  and  subject  to  timely  compliance  by  the  State  Government  to  the observations  raised  by  the  NRIDA/Ministry,  there  is  no  delay  in  sanction  of  the  project proposals.

(g)  Rural  roads  under  PMGSY  are  constructed  as  per  the  technical  specifications  and geometric design standards given in  the  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  Specifications  for Rural Roads, Rural Roads Manual of the Indian Roads Congress (IRC) (IRC:SP:20) and also, where  required,  the  Hill  Road  Manual  (IRC:SP:48) and  other  relevant  IRC  Codes  & Manuals.  As per the IRC norms, the permitted gradient for rural roads is 1 in 12.5 and in exceptional circumstances 1 in 10. The Ministry received proposal from the State of Kerala requesting  to  permit  the  State  to  adopt  the  Gradient  of  1  in  8  to  1  in  10  using  mandatory traffic  signs  in  short  stretches  for  roads  proposed  for  upgradation  under  PMGSY-III.  The proposal was examined and the State has been asked  to furnish data regarding the adoption of such steeper gradients on the existing roads of Public Works Department in the State in hill areas and their record of satisfactory traffic movement and accident data, if any. The response from the State in the matter is awaited.

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