- Also read: Tamil Nadu seeks adequate budgetary allocation for infrastructure development in the State
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on Monday announced that 10,000 km of rural roads will be upgraded in the State at a cost of ₹4,000 crore in the next two years.
Making a suo motu statement in the Assembly under Rule 110, Stalin said the project would be undertaken under the Chief Minister’s Rural Roads Improvement Scheme.
There are about 1.38 lakh km of Village Panchayat and Panchayat Union roads in Tamil Nadu, he added.
There is a direct correlation between investment in rural roads and the welfare of rural people. Improvement of road infrastructure and transport services enhances business efficiency in rural areas. It reduces the input cost and increases agricultural production leading to rural development. Quality roads enhance the income level of the rural people.
It provides services such as education and health to disseminate knowledge, remove social and economic inequalities and accelerate development. “That is why our Government continues to give top priority to the development of bus accessible roads, arterial roads connecting hamlets and roads connecting villages with various important services,” he said.
Under this scheme, 10,000 km length of Panchayat Union Roads and Village Panchayat Roads have been improved at a cost of ₹4,000 crore in the last two years and 8,120 km of rural roads have been completed so far.
A total of 16,596 km of roads have been constructed in the last three years under the road development scheme in the peri-urban villages. Planning sanction has been accorded for construction of 425 elevated bridges and length of roads. Its total value is ₹9,324.49 crore. We plan to continue to do this, he said.