Dev pulls strings for Rs 63cr road funds

Sept. 18: Union minister for heavy industries and public enterprises Santosh Mohan Dev, recently admitted that he had to pull strings in New Delhi to get funds sanctioned for roads in Cachar district.

By pulling strings he meant he had to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, finance minister P. Chidambaram and road transport minister T.R. Baalu for the Centre to sanction Rs 63 crore from the non-lapsable pool of resources to repair the pothole-riddled roads.

Of this, Rs 23.37 crore was earmarked for the renovation of 62 roads in Silchar town, the headquarters of Cachar district, while the rest will be used to improve the roads in the rest of the district.

Dev said he was deeply shocked to find the “abysmal” condition of roads in Cachar riddled with potholes and craters. He said the repairs would commence once the monsoon was over. The PWD has already completed the survey, he added.

This is the second biggest infrastructure project in the district, which the Centre has recently granted.

Earlier, the Centre had released the first tranche of Rs 17 crore of the Rs 158 crore stormwater drainage project for this town.

source: telegraph india