Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government targets to construct 15,000 km roads under Mukhya Mantri Sadak Yojana with an expenditure of Rs 12,000 crore in next 5 years, said Rural Development Minister Preeti Ranjan Ghadai on Monday.
Speaking to media persons in Bhubaneswar after performance review of the department by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the minister said besides the roads, 1,500 new bridges would be built with a cost of Rs 6,000 crore under Biju Setu Yojana (BSY) during the period to improve the road connectivity in rural areas of the state. While the government had committed to construct 750 bridges, 679 have already been completed and 900 more will be built by March, 2024, he added.
Speaking on the achievements of the department, Ghadai said 2,241 roads have been constructed under various schemes and 1,304 more are under construction. Besides, 1,03,731 km roads are being maintained by the department for connectivity to 18,161 habitations.
Similarly, more than 10,000 km roads have been constructed with green technology and 8,700 colleges, schools, multipurpose cyclone shelters and other buildings have been built in rural areas.
The minister said the budget for the department has increased by 25 times compared to 2000-2001 from Rs 305 crore to Rs 7,500 crore in 2023-24.
Principal secretary of the department Sanjay Kumar Singh was present at the meeting.
