Rs 2000 cr for pavement of streets

Chandigarh, Jun 16: The Haryana government has earmarked a sum of Rs 200 crore for pavement of streets in 2000 villages during 2008-09 with a view to providing better facilities in the rural areas.

Stating this here today, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said the government had decided to repair the streets of all the 6764 villages of the state by the end of the financial year 2009-10 by paving the streets with cement concrete and interlocking paver blocks.

As many as 391 more villages would be covered under 'Mukhya Mantri Anusuchit Jati Gaon Utthan Aur Malin Basti Vikas Yojana' during the year 2008-09 and 2009-10, where Rs 50 lakh would be earmarked for each village for providing basic amenities, including pavement of streets and drains.

The Chief Minister said the efforts in this direction had been initiated in the year 2006-07 when an amount of Rs 129.64 crore was sanctioned and released for 1297 villages as identified by state government for pavement of streets under LADT scheme.

The pavement work in 1112 villages had been completed and was near completion in the remaining 185 villages. An amount of Rs 108.71 crore had been utilised by May 31.

He said during the financial year 2007-08, an amount of Rs 157.37 crore had been sanctioned under Pavement of Streets Scheme for 1573 villages at a rate of Rs. 10 lakh per village. Works in 600 villages had since been completed and an amount of Rs 60.34 crore had been spent as on May 31. Works were in progress in 718 villages and would shortly be started in 255 villages.

Mr Hooda said that in this way, a total number of 5358 villages would be taken up by the end of year 2008-09. The remaining villages would be taken up in the financial year 2009-10 under Pavement of Streets Scheme.

He said that the State Government had decided to construct a 'Women Choupal' in all the villages of the State in a phased manner at an estimated cost of Rs 3 lakh each. Total covered area of the choupal would be 48.59 Square meters with the provision of a hall Store, Kitchen, Toilet, Bath, Verandah, Barbed Wire Fencing, Gali and pillar.

During first phase, these choupals were being constructed in all 97 Model Villages, 391 those villages having more than 50 per cent Scheduled Castes population and 107 villages having 10,000 or more population.

As many as 524 villages had already been sanctioned funds for the construction of Women Choupal in first phase. These 524 choupals would be constructed by December 2009 by incurring an expenditure of about Rs 16 Crore.

UNI