Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 13 Aug: Rural Development Minister Ganesh Joshi has issued clear instructions to officials to give top priority to reopening roads blocked by heavy rains under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
On Wednesday, during a review meeting of the Uttarakhand Rural Roads Development Agency (URRDA) at his Camp Office in Hathibadkala, Minister Joshi obtained detailed information on the damage caused by the rains and the status of road closures under PMGSY. He directed that roads blocked due to heavy rainfall be reopened on war footing and that repair and reconstruction work on rain-damaged roads and bridges be completed at the earliest.
The Minister further instructed that compensation for acquired land be distributed to villagers promptly by organising camps as soon as the weather clears. He also emphasised that proper dumping yards be set up at designated locations for debris disposal, ensuring that road restoration is carried out while maintaining environmental balance.
Officials informed him that, due to heavy rainfall, 106 roads in the Garhwal region have been closed, with 92 JCB machines deployed for clearance. In the Kumaon region, 30 roads have been blocked, with 32 JCBs engaged in reopening them. Across the state, a total of 136 roads are currently closed, and efforts to restore them are being carried out on a war footing.
During the meeting, Minister Joshi also instructed that the construction of PMGSY roads, bridges, and approach roads in the Karnprayag Assembly constituency be completed within the stipulated time frame.
Present on the occasion were Chief Engineer (Garhwal) Manish Mittal, Superintending Engineer Arun Kumar, Executive Engineer Raghuvir Singh Gusain, and other officials.
