State roads to be pothole-free by June: PWD minister

Says no toll tax on bridges costing up to Rs 5 cr

Claims girls’ strength increased in schools by 30%

Informs that state spent Rs 200 cr in developing tourism infra in 9 years

House passes demand for budgetary grants of over Rs 5877 cr for public works, school education, religious trust and religion, culture and tourism departments

Raipur, March 06, 2012

Minister for public works, school education, religious trust and religion, culture and tourism departments Brijmohan Agrawal on Wednesday announced in the House that the roads would be free from potholes by June 2013. “We have improved majority of roads in the recent past and repair all the ramshackle roads by June. After that, we will take stern action against guilty officials if we will receive complaints of damaged roads,” he said while speaking during debate over demand for budgetary grants of over Rs 5877 crore for his departments at state assembly. The House passed demand for grants for these departments through voice vote.

He informed the House that the government had taken Rs 500 crore loan from National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) to increase rural road networks. “We have already approved 300 crore for 412 roads stretching to 1581 km,” he said.

 Besides, the government has made a provision of Rs 1000 crore to repair damaged roads of rural pockets, he added.

He further informed the House that the government would not impose toll tax on motorists for using bridges costing up to Rs 5 crore. He said the PWD would also accomplishing the task of upgrading international stadium at Parsada (Raipur) according to BCCI norms by April 20, 2013 to conduct Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 matches. 

He also informed the House that the PWD would construct a five-storey library in Vidhan Sabha. For this, there is a additional provision of Rs 14 crore in budget, he added.

On school education department he said the government had taken several positive steps and still needed to do much more. 

“The Centre says Right to Education (RTE) should be implemented in five years. However, to fully implement RTE we will have to spend Rs 25000 crore. For this we will urge the Centre to extend the given time limit,” he said.

He informed the House that the government opened 18700 new schools in last nine years and the total number of schools in 2012 had reached to 60308. “During this period, we also constructed 20795 school buildings,” he added.

He further informed that the government had opened 260 Edusat centres across the state to impart PET and PMT coaching to the students. 

He said the schools education department had also commenced process to fill 900 vacant posts of physical training instructor (PTI).

He informed that the department succeeded in bringing back 73164 out of 105413 dropouts to schools. He claimed that the girls’ strength in schools had increased by 30%.  

He said the government would ensure that every girl student of class IX should get a bicycle. He further said he would urge the chief minister to distribute free books to students up to class XII.

On tourism he said the state spent about Rs 200 crore in developing infrastructure in the sector in nine years and pointed that other states did the same in over 50-100 years.

“Developing tourism in a state a time-taking process and it even take 1000 years of time. However, we put Chhattisgarh tourism in global arena in just a short span of time,” he said.

He informed the House that the government would attempt to get national status for Raipur-based Guru Ghasidas museum that had already upgraded as state museum. Besides, the government will also develop museum in every district.

He further informed that the government had taken 10 acre land from Agriculture College at Raipur-Mahasamund road to construct a multicultural centre like Bharat Bhawan in Bhopal.

He said the government would also attempt to obtain world heritage status for Sirpur where it was conducting excavation in 38 hills.

Similarly, he said, the Purkhauti Muktangan, stretching in about 250 acres, was a unique open museum in the world.

He said the financially impoverished artistes selected by culture department would get pension of Rs 2000 per month instead of Rs 1500 per month.

He informed the House that the government would open Swami Vivekanand Prabuddha Sansthan in state on the occasion of his 150^th birth anniversary this year.

He said Rajim Kumbh had become popular worldwide in eight years of its inception and was being organised for peace and prosperity of the state people.

He claimed that though Chhattisgarh government may have some shortcomings but what it did in nine years to emerge as fast developing state was appreciated nationally.

He informed that the pilgrims for Kailash Mansarovar yatra would get Rs 50000 financial aid. Earlier, the aid was Rs 25000.

He also hiked fund provision to construct dharamshalas in religious places from Rs 50 lakh to Rs one crore. 

He said the government would give Rs 5 lakh additional fund to Ratanpur in navratri festival. 

What opposition MLAs said..

Paresh Bagbahra said the government had failed to provide online booking facilities for state’s tourist spots. Pointing that international tourists were not coming to Chhattisgarh, he said the government should find the reasons behind it. 

He further pointed that the rest houses of Mohda and Barnawapara were too expensive for the tourists. He also demanded Rs 1.25 lakh monthly salary for MLAs. 

On school education, he said the government failed to spend given funds on it.

Dharamjeet Singh said the public works department (PWD) had become dishevelled and corrupt department in last nine years. “The department is only obliging contractors,” he said. 

“The parameter of any state’s development is road and traffic but in Chhattisgarh all works carried out by PWD in last nine years were of inferior quality,” he said.

Indicating that the Raipur-Bilaspur road had become horrible for motorists, he said the PWD could not even commence the proposed 100 km-road project between the two cities.

He said the construction works of roads, bridges and culverts were not being carried our properly in naxal-infested regions.

Amarjeet Bhagat said school studies were being affected due to lack of teaching faculties. He said how will works progress if financial management would not be done properly.

Pratima Chandrakar said everybody knows the condition of state roads. She put host of demands regarding repairing and renovation of roads of her constituency.

Dr Renu Jogi informed the House the about 25-30 temples in Ratanpur were in ramshackle condition. She urged the minister to renovate and regularly maintain those temples.

Rampukar Singh said the funds allotted to PWD should be used fully and in given timeframe. He also asked the department to maintain quality of works.

Paresh stages symbolic dharna

Congress MLA Paresh Bagbahra entered the well and staged symbolic dharna in protest of demolition of shops in Bagbahra. Terming demolition action as administrative terrorism, he demanded compensation and rehabilitation package for the affected ones. Meanwhile, on the chair Devjibhai Patel informed the House that by entering the well Bagbahra himself got suspended. Bagbahra left the House and after a while Patel said the former’s suspension period was over.  However, Bagbahra did not come back.