Rs 473 Cr road works get Centres nod

BHUBANESWAR: The Centre has sanctioned Rs 473 crore for laying roads in the non-Integrated Action Plan (IAP) districts of the State.In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said proposals for the non-IAP districts sent by the State Government involving 284 roads stretching over 1,052 km estimated at Rs 473 crore have been sanctioned.Earlier, on October 12, the Rural Development Ministry had sanctioned 602 road works for 2,498 km worth Rs 994 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the 15 IAP districts. “With this, I believe there are no proposals from Odisha pending with us,” he said.The Union Minister said by year-end, the State Government is expected to submit proposals worth around Rs 1,200 crore for the IAP districts. “When these get the Centre’s nod soon thereafter, I would have fulfilled the commitments made regarding Odisha when we had met in Bhubaneswar on August 14,” the Union Minister said.