Under the fourth phase of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Himachal Pradesh is set to get 1,438 kilometres of new roads, aimed at providing road connectivity to 294 villages across the state. All these villages have a population of more than 250.
The Public Works Department (PWD) has prepared Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for all proposed roads and sent them to the Union Ministry of Rural Development for approval. Further work will begin only after the central government clears the proposals.
According to the department, the fourth phase of PMGSY is scheduled to begin next year. A total of 294 roads are proposed to be constructed in 12 districts under this phase.
District-wise details show that Shimla will have the highest number of roads, with 97 proposals. Kullu and Chamba follow with 65 roads each. Mandi is proposed to get 23 roads, Sirmaur 11, Kinnaur eight, Solan three, while Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Lahaul-Spiti and Una will get between two and four roads each.
In terms of length, the highest road length of 474 km is proposed in Shimla district, followed by 406 km in Kullu and 228 km in Chamba. Other districts include 115 km in Mandi, 64 km in Kinnaur, 59 km in Sirmaur, 30 km in Lahaul-Spiti, 23 km in Kangra, 19 km in Bilaspur, eight km in Solan, seven km in Hamirpur and five km in Una.
The PWD has sent DPRs worth around ₹9 crore to the central government. These include proposals from Shimla (669 projects), Kullu (564), Chamba (554), Mandi (130), Kinnaur (96), Sirmaur (86), Lahaul-Spiti (64), Kangra (47), Bilaspur (30), Solan (12), Hamirpur (10) and Una.
