With the Union government giving its nod to a financial package of 1,700 crore to construct and improve rural roads in the state of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand government, led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, has received great relief. The approval includes 184 rural road projects, or over a thousand kilometres, to enhance the last-mile connectivity in remote and hilly areas. The step is a huge boost to the state that has been battling with massive destruction of infrastructure due to frequent natural disasters in recent months.
As per the officials, the new funding was approved because the state government provided elaborate reports to the Centre about the growing burden on the villagers because of the damaged roads and broken transport corridors. The rural surroundings were also experiencing difficulties accessing basic amenities like health facilities, education, as landslides, downpour and land topography had made major roads almost unavailable. The new distribution will not only assist the state in restoring torn areas but also create new routes, which will enhance connectivity to thousands of families residing in interior areas.
The approval has been received with a lot of welcome by the Dhami government, as it has been described as a timely intervention that will help in achieving several objectives of rehabilitation and long-term development. In the case of Uttarakhand, where rural roads are frequently the main linking road between the remote communities on hills and the closest towns, better road infrastructure will have a substantial impact on the local economy. Improved connectivity will aid farmers in the transportation of their harvest more effectively, bolster the tourism movement, and enable access to emergency services faster, particularly in those districts that are vulnerable to disasters.
It is observed that the key financial assistance is an indication of cooperative federalism, where the Centre recognizes the geographical and environmental challenges that Uttarakhand is experiencing. The officials also feel that the new road undertakings will create jobs in the short run, which will assist the local employees and contractors at the time of construction. Better road networks would eventually serve to decrease the migration of people out of the hill districts since economic prospects would be stabilized at the rural level.
According to the political observers, the approval gives the Dhami government a strong stand in a period where the government has been under pressure to speed up a post-disaster recovery and rebuild the infrastructure of the people. The state government has been pressurizing the Centre to help it, and this allocation can be considered a good act that will help the state to take off the financial load on its budget.
The approved rural road projects should start being developed within a short time once the administrative formalities are finalized. It will now be concerned with the timely implementation and high quality of the construction in order to make the roads upgraded and able to withstand the rough terrain and weather conditions of the region.
