Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 05 April 2025
Member of Parliament from Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Mr. Bishnu Pada Ray, has urged all elected representatives from Zilla Parishads, Panchayat Samitis, and Gram Panchayats to submit lists of existing katcha (earthen) roads that serve populations of 250 or more, for potential inclusion under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY-IV).
In a letter addressed to PRI members, MP Ray shared that he met with the Union Minister of Rural Development, Mr. Shivraj Singh Chauhan, on April 3 in New Delhi to discuss relaxing the population eligibility criterion for road projects under PMGSY-IV—from 250 to 100 residents. However, the minister informed him that the existing criteria could not be relaxed. Despite this, he assured that the road requirements and lengths for the A&N Islands will be duly considered under the ongoing scheme.
MP Ray has requested that details of all katcha roads meeting the population criterion be submitted to the concerned Executive Engineers of APWD, with a copy to his office, at the earliest. The roads must have a minimum 6-meter-wide land availability, as PMGSY-IV mandates the construction of new 3-meter-wide blacktop roads, with additional space required for berms and drainage.
He further clarified that the scheme allows only for new road constructions and does not cover repair, maintenance, or upgradation of existing roads.
The submitted road lists will assist APWD cluster teams in initiating field surveys and cost estimations, expected to begin between the last week of April and the first week of May 2025.