The Tamil Nadu government has recently accorded administrative sanction for ₹1,000 crore for improving roads in village panchayats and panchayat unions under the ‘Mudhalvarin Grama Salaigal Membattu Thittam’ (MGSMT) during 2024-25.
The order is in line with the Finance Minister’s announcement in his Budget speech for 2024-25 that roads would be improved in rural areas in about 2,000 km.
The selection for improving roads under the MGSMT would be based on the age and pavement condition index. Priority would be accorded if they are bus plying, has a length of more than 3 km, whether they connect the National Highways, State Highways, major district roads, other district roads and by-pass roads.
Roads connecting important tourism, pilgrimage and heritage places or has socio-economic utilities, among others would be given priority. Roads providing single connectivity to habitations would also be accorded priority, said a G.O. issued on March 15 by the Department of Rural Development and Panchayat Raj.
Meanwhile, the less important Panchayat Union Roads would be re-classified as Village Panchayat Roads and the re-classification would be undertaken as per the provisions of the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Classification of Public Roads), 1999. The re-classification was “in progress”, the G.O. said.
Strengthening of existing black topped roads that are worn out and are over five years old, periodic renewal of such roads and upgrading various roads to BT roads are among the works that are to be undertaken under the MGSMT.
