By IANS,
New Delhi : The finance ministry has been releasing less than the required amount for the maintenance of national highways since 2004-05, Minister of Road Transport and Highways Jitin Prasada said Thursday.
In 2011-12, as per its norms the transport ministry had asked for Rs.2,800 crore, but was allocated only Rs.1,027.25 crore, Prasada said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
According to the minister the fund provided is about 40 percent of the actual requirement.
“The non-plan allocation that are annually provided by the ministry of finance for maintenance and repair of national highway are of the order of about 40 percent of the actual requirements,” Prasada said in his reply.
“Accordingly it has not possible to allocate sufficient funds to the states under maintenance and repair as per the norms of the ministry,” he added.
Latest data compiled by the road and transport ministry, the number of accidents on national highways wre recorded at 142,511 in 2009, rising from 137,995 in the previous year.
The accidents in 2009 left 45,222 people dead, an increase from 42,670 casualties
in 2008.
The minister said that inadequate allocation of funds for repair had resulted into thin spreading of resources on large stretches of national highways.
During 2010-11 against the requirement of Rs.2,800 crore, the finance ministry had allocated Rs.1,989.46 crore, while during 2009-2010 and 2008-2009 the amount required were Rs.2,500 crore each year for which the ministry provided Rs.1,059.1 crore and Rs.974.32 crore respectively.
The ministry has taken up the issue of enhancing the allocations of funds for maintenance and repair of national highways from time to time with the ministry of finance, said Prasada.