LUDHIANA: Union Minister for Rural Development Jairam Ramesh has emphasised upon the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that the officials executing various centrally sponsored schemes like rural development and Pradhan Mantri Gram Saddak Yojana (PMGSY) must be asked to adhere to the guidelines, especially provisions relating to consultations with the MPs.

The ministry has also asked the state government that ''citizen information boards should be displayed in local language and the board should be placed in a prominent location in the benefited habitation for each road works being executed under this programme". Mr Ramesh in a letter to the Chief Minister has also given the details of various roads sanctioned in phase two of the PMGSY.

Disclosing this in a pressnote released here today, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari said, the letter was clear and categorical in saying that the local MPs be consulted about the road construction/upgradation lest these be manipulated by those having the say and sway over the power in the state.

Tewari said in the second phase Ludhiana has got 5 roads to be constructed/upgraded at a cost of over Rs 17 crores. He said,  the union rural development ministry has sanctioned 46 more roads measuring 455 kms which would be constructed at a cost of  Rs 247 crores of which Rs 225 crores would be provided by the central government and the state will have to provider Rs 22 crores only.

He said, this is in addition to the 121 roads measuring 637 kms at a cost of Rs 319 crores provided by the central government in February this year. This takes the total number of road construction/upgradation in Punjab this year to 1092 kms so far, Tewari said, while adding, the total share of Punjab in PMGSY-II is 1345 kms. Having a dig at Akali criticism against centre, Tewari said, this is just an example and rebuff to those who have been asking questions about centre's contribution towards Punjab's development.