Ahead of polls, PWD cleared road works worth 4 times the budget
'The average value of road projects approved ahead of the assembly polls was ₹350 crore per district, which is otherwise around ₹50 crore per district per year,' said a senior PWD official, requesting not to be identified. Most of the approved projects were in constituencies of around 200 legislators associated with the major parties in the Mahayuti alliance – BJP, Shiv Sena and NCP.
'Road projects were approved to woo legislators and ensure they remained loyal to the ruling Mahayuti alliance or enable them to get elected with the help of 'financial benefits' courtesy the road contracts,' the official quoted earlier said.
The PWD's annual budget for 2024-25 was ₹27,000 crore, out of which ₹15,000 crore was to be ulitised for road construction while the remaining amount was meant for construction and maintenance of buildings. Following the approval of road projects worth ₹64,000 ahead of the polls, work worth ₹13,527 crore was completed, the bills for which are still pending with the department, said officials.
'Out of the total dues, ₹10,177 crore is for construction of state and district roads while the remaining amount is for roads constructed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation and grants for national roads,' said a second official from the PWD department.
Most of the approved road construction projects are now stuck midway as contractors' bills are pending, said officials.
The government cannot clear the pending bills due to massive spending on the Ladki Bahin scheme, at ₹3,700 crore per year, the officials mentioned. Excessive approvals during the election year have also restricted the government from approving new roads or making any provisions in the budget for 2025-26 or the supplementary demands tabled in June, due to which the condition of existing roads would worsen, they added.
'As an exception, the state government allocated funds only for three state road projects this year,' said a finance department official. The projects pertained to roads worth ₹1,500 crore in Nashik for the upcoming Kumbh Mela, roads worth ₹600 crore in the Gadchiroli mining corridor, and roads worth ₹400 crore in Chandrapur.
'The finance department is in the process of releasing ₹10,000 crore against the outstanding bills,' the finance department official said.
PWD minister Shivendra Raje Bhosale said, 'We have been making budgetary provisions in phases to clear the pending bills.'
Apart from dues pertaining to the PWD's road contracts, the state government owes an additional ₹10,000 crore against bills for work undertaken by the rural development, water supply, and district planning departments. These and other departments had awarded contracts worth ₹35,000 crore ahead of the assembly polls, said officials.
Milind Bhosale, president of the Maharashtra State Contractors Federation said road contracts awarded by the PWD and the rural development department in the election year were unprecedented.
'It is true that most of the projects have been abandoned midway, leaving the roads in bad condition,' Bhosale said, blaming the situation on outstanding bills and the lack of any payments since March this year.
Nearly 400,000 government contractors across the state will stage a protest against the pending dues on August 19, he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
8 hours ago
- News18
August Dry Days: Check When Liquor Shops Will Be Closed In Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru
Last Updated: Major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru have announced dry days during festival season. Liquor sales will be banned on Independence Day, Janmashtami, and Ganesh Chaturthi. As the festival season kicks off in August, authorities in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru have released a list of dry days. On these days, all bars, pubs, restaurants, wine stores, and liquor shops across the cities will be closed. The restriction will be imposed on a 24-hour basis. Dry Days In Delhi The Delhi administration has scheduled consecutive dry days this week, closing all liquor shops on Independence Day and Janmashtami. The liquor vends in different licence categories were closed on August 15 for Independence Day and will be closed on August 16 for Janmasthami, Hindustan Times quoted an order issued by the Delhi government's excise department as saying. The order said that in addition, all liquor vends, bars, restaurants, hotels, and clubs will remain closed on Independence Day and on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. Dry Days In Mumbai Ahead of the grand Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations starting on 27 August in Maharashtra, the state government has issued strict regulations on liquor sales in Mumbai and surrounding areas. Apart from 15 August, the state excise department has marked multiple days when the sale of alcohol will be prohibited in Mumbai. All liquor shops, bars, pubs, and wine stores remained closed on 15 August for Independence Day and will be closed on 16 August for Janmashtami, the celebration of Lord Krishna's birth. The state has marked a strict ban on the sale of alcohol in Mumbai on 27 August and 6 September, the first and last days of Ganesh Chaturthi. During the 10-day grand festival, concluding with Anant Chaturdashi (Visarjan Day) on 6 September, dry days could be enforced on 5 September due to public processions and large gatherings. If needed, restrictions may apply throughout the entire festival, with a complete ban on the sale of alcohol by licensed shops, restaurants, or bars. However, there is no bar on private consumption, but purchasing alcohol on these days will not be possible. Dry Days In Bengaluru The Bengaluru administration imposed two consecutive dry days this week. Liquor was banned on 15 August for Independence Day and will again be banned on 16 August for Janmashtami. On these two days, there will be a 48-hour restriction on the sale of alcohol through licensed vendors, restaurants, or bars across the city. Additionally, Ganesh Chaturthi on 27 August is expected to be a dry day in Bengaluru. Like Mumbai, the administration may also enforce extra restrictions during the immersion celebrations on 6 September. First Published: August 15, 2025, 21:39 IST Latest News AAPs student wing to back deserving DU candidates lacking funds for union polls Agency feeds Agency feeds Nepal-India relations more than roti and beti, says Deputy PM Singh Agency feeds Two children found dead inside parked car in Patna Agency feeds Shooting near mosque in Sweden leaves 1 dead, police say Agency feeds Illegal human egg trading racket busted in Hyderabad; two held latest news
News18
9 hours ago
- News18
Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru Set Dry Days On These Dates: Check Full List
Last Updated: Major cities like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru have announced dry days during festival season. Liquor sales will be banned on Independence Day, Janmashtami, and Ganesh Chaturthi. As the festival season kicks off in August, authorities in major cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru have released a list of dry days. On these days, all bars, pubs, restaurants, wine stores, and liquor shops across the cities will be closed. The restriction will be imposed on a 24-hour basis. Dry Days In Delhi The Delhi administration has scheduled consecutive dry days this week, closing all liquor shops on Independence Day and Janmashtami. The liquor vends in different licence categories were closed on August 15 for Independence Day and will be closed on August 16 for Janmasthami, Hindustan Times quoted an order issued by the Delhi government's excise department as saying. The order said that in addition, all liquor vends, bars, restaurants, hotels, and clubs will remain closed on Independence Day and on October 2, Mahatma Gandhi's birth anniversary. Dry Days In Mumbai Apart from 15 August, the state excise department has marked multiple days when the sale of alcohol will be prohibited in Mumbai. All liquor shops, bars, pubs, and wine stores remained closed on 15 August for Independence Day and will be closed on 16 August for Janmashtami, the celebration of Lord Krishna's birth. The state has marked a strict ban on the sale of alcohol in Mumbai on 27 August and 6 September, the first and last days of Ganesh Chaturthi. During the 10-day grand festival, concluding with Anant Chaturdashi (Visarjan Day) on 6 September, dry days could be enforced on 5 September due to public processions and large gatherings. If needed, restrictions may apply throughout the entire festival, with a complete ban on the sale of alcohol by licensed shops, restaurants, or bars. However, there is no bar on private consumption, but purchasing alcohol on these days will not be possible. Dry Days In Bengaluru The Bengaluru administration imposed two consecutive dry days this week. Liquor was banned on 15 August for Independence Day and will again be banned on 16 August for Janmashtami. On these two days, there will be a 48-hour restriction on the sale of alcohol through licensed vendors, restaurants, or bars across the city. Additionally, Ganesh Chaturthi on 27 August is expected to be a dry day in Bengaluru. Like Mumbai, the administration may also enforce extra restrictions during the immersion celebrations on 6 September. view comments Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
The Hindu
11 hours ago
- The Hindu
Karnataka will set up competitive exam training centre in Delhi, says Minister
The State government will establish a competitive training centre in New Delhi for candidates from Karnataka, PWD Minister Satish Jarkiholi said in Belagavi on Friday. The centre will train students from the general, SC/ST, and OBC categories. Around ₹60 crore will be spent on the building construction, the Minister said. The centre will focus on training students in UPSC and other competitive examinations, he said. He was speaking at the Independence Day celebrations. This would be taken up under the SCP and TSP scheme. It will provide a grant of ₹25 crore to set up a Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Cultural Center, hostel, training centre, and basic infrastructure in Bengaluru. For the first time, a grant of ₹20 crore will be spent on developing vacant sites under the pilot scheme and reallocate sites to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes families, he said. He said that some long projects in Belagavi will be launched soon. CM Siddaramaiah will launch work on the flyover work, the new Deputy Commissioner's office, and the new building of Patrika Bhavan next month. The Patrika Bhavan would be built at the cost of ₹10 crore. Work in the first phase of the flyover will start from Sankam Hotel and end at Ashoka Circle, RTO Circle, Channamma Circle, Bogarves Circle. Work on the 4.5 km flyover at a cost of ₹200 crore will start by September. He told reporters that the Irrigation Department had set a target of providing water to 1 lakh hectares of area in Belagavi. Priority would be given to filling projects. The state government is committed to the comprehensive development of the Saundatti Yallamma temple and Saundatti town at a cost of ₹215 crore. Already, administrative approval has been accorded, and the tender process has begun. Tourism Development Minister H.K. Patil is keen on this project, he said. In Belagavi, a new Deputy Commissioner's office would be built at the cost of ₹55 crore. The Chief Minister will also inaugurate several works that he had launched in his first term. Most of them were complete now, the Minister said. The district stadium will receive a grant of ₹10 crore per year.
