Manipur: Rs 2,395 crore sanctioned for road, bridge projects in hill areas

The Manipur Public Works Department said that Rs 2,395.51 crore was sanctioned for different road and bridge projects in the hill areas of the state from 2020-21 to 2024-25.

In a press statement the Chief Engineer Manipur Public Works Department on Wednesday said the money was sanctioned during the period under various schemes.

It said Rs 537.61 crore was sanctioned for 12 road and bridge projects in hill areas of the state in 2020-21.

In 2021-22 a sum of Rs 244.72 crore was sanctioned for 27 projects, in 2022-23 a sum of Rs 708.27 was sanctioned for 130 road and bridge projects in the hill areas of Manipur, it said.

The statement said 153 road and bridge projects worth Rs 673.88 crore was sanctioned in 2023-24 and 31 projects worth Rs 231.07 was sanctioned in 2024-25 for hill areas of the state.

The hill areas of Manipur occupy 90 per cent of the total geography of the state.

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It said that in the same period 2020-21 to 2024-25, a sum of Rs 1,300.21 crore was sanctioned for road and bridge projects in the Valley area of Manipur.

The statement said that during the last four years, projects undertaken by NHIDCL in hill areas amount to Rs 8,541.97 crore while that of valley areas amounts to Rs 351.08 crore.

The PWD statement said also that the state is awaiting sanction of Rs 1,374.81 crore for the hill areas and an additional Rs 1,125. 97 crore for the valley areas for 2024-25 from MoRT&H and NEC.

Recently Manipur legislator Paolienlal Haokip had claimed that 57 road projects worth around Rs 400 crore were recently allocated to the valley areas by the concerned ministry.

Criticising the allocation as neglect of hill areas of the state, Haokip wrote on X, "All 57 road projects only for Manipur's valley districts. This is why a union territory with a legislature is a must for the hills.