CHENNAI: Chief Minister M K Stalin on Monday announced that an additional 10,000 kms of rural roads in the state would be taken up for development in the second phase of the Chief Minister’s Rural Road Development Scheme in the next two years.

Making a suo motu statement under rule 110 of the State Assembly, Stalin informed the House that an additional 10,000 kilometers of rural roads would be developed at Rs 4,000 crore in the next two years.

Announced on January 13, 2023, about Rs 4,000 crore has been allocated in the last two years for developing 10,000 kms of panchayat union and village panchayat roads in the state in the first phase of the scheme. Of the 10,000kms, works of rural roads measuring about 8,120 kms have been completed so far, the CM told the House.

Sanction has been accorded for constructing 425 flyovers and laying 16,596 km long roads in the state under Chief Minister’s Rural Road Development Project, NABARD Rural Infrastructure Development Fund, Prime Minister’s Village Road Scheme and the scheme of developing roads adjoining urban areas in the last three years. “The total cost of the projects is Rs 9,324.49 crore and we have decided to continue the implementation of the projects,” Stalin stated.

Thanking the government and Chief Minister Stalin for announcing the extension of the rural road development project, MLAs of the ruling alliance and even opposition PMK and BJP urged the state government to involve the MLAs in identifying the roads in their respective constituencies.

The MLAs also insisted that they must be consulted by the officials while selecting the roads to be taken up under the second phase of the CM’s Rural Road Development Project.