Bengal Govt to construct 13,000 km of rural roads

The Bengal Government has decided to construct 13,000 km of rural roads in order to improve the rural economy, said the State Panchayats and Rural Development Minister recently.

For this, the government will invest Rs 3,100 crore, which is part of a Rs 7,800 crore project. For building rural roads, the State Government pays 50 per cent of the cost of a project. The cost of laying 1 km is Rs 60 lakh. PSUs like NBCC and NPCC have been engaged to execute the projects.

The initial plan was to build 7,000 km of roads but, after seeing the superior performance of the Bengal Government, the Centre has provided sanction for 13,000 km.

The minister also informed that the State Government would provide Rs 2,700 crore to widen and renovate 3,000 km of rural roads.