Gangtok: On Saturday, Chief Minister P.S.Golay presided over a review meeting of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) under the Rural Development Department at Samman Bhawan in Gangtok. The meeting was attended by Rural Development Minister Sonam Lama, department officials, and contractors, according to reports.
Rural Development principal secretary C.S. Rao gave a brief overview of PMGSY work in the state and its current status in his welcome address. According to him, the deadline for completion of all works is September 2022, as directed by the Government of India, and funds for incomplete works must be borne by the State government after that date.
The Rural Development principal chief engineer gave a detailed PowerPoint presentation on the progress status.
In his address to the meeting, the Chief Minister emphasised the significance of the meeting. He also emphasised the importance of completing the pending PMGSY works on time, stating that failure to do so would be a burden on the State government.
In this regard, the Chief Minister directed the department and contractors to take the work seriously and complete it by September 2022, as the work would benefit the rural population and the State directly. He assured the government's support in any forest, land compensation, or financial loan issues that might impede work progress. Furthermore, in the interest of completing the work, the government will provide the matching State share funds, he added.
The Chief Minister assured that the government would provide any additional funds needed, subject to the timely completion of the works. Concerning the grievances raised by the contractors during the meeting, he assured them that the government would investigate any issues that fell under the purview of the State government. According to the release, in the end, he was strictly directed to complete all of the works according to the timeline.
During the interactive session, a few contractors from various districts discussed their difficulties and the reasons for the work's delay. However, they also assured the government that they would make every effort to complete the work by the deadline, a report stated.