In its bid to overcome the stigma of an infrastructurally inadequate state,the government has firmed up plans to repair all damaged roads, bridges andembankments by March 2000, with loans from the Housing and Urban DevelopmentCorporation (HUDCO) and the West Bengal Infrastructure DevelopmentCorporation (WBIDC). However, what is unique to this venture is the decisionto implement the statewide project through district administrative bodies.

In a major shift in policy, all finances related to this venture will bedirectly handled by district councils without the intervention of othergovernment departments. The government hopes to reduce bureaucratic wranglesthrough this move. The decision regarding this was taken during a meeting ofchief minister Jyoti Basu, finance minister Asim Dasgupta, other ministersand high-ranking district officials.

Dasgupta said while the time-frame would be strictly adhered to, it could berelaxed for certain areas, keeping the circumstances in view.

The irrigation department would start repairing dams,embankments, irrigationcanals and drainage systems by January 15 and the district councils wouldoversee the work of the department. The councils will also earmark theprojects while special beneficiary committees and the ministers concernedwill monitor the progress. A concession has, however, been made in the caseof the Public Works Department (PWD) which would continue to workindependently on the project to repair roads and bridges until "such timewhen the district councils become capable of handling such projects." Tillthen the PWD will also handle the finances.

Of the Rs 800 crore earmarked for the whole programme, Rs 25 crore forrepairing roads would be released to PWD, which has been asked to completeits work by this month. This amount would be over and above the budgetaryallocation for the PWD government would give road repair contracts only tothose companies which were willing to give a three year guarantee on theirwork.

"If the roads go bad in three years, the company would have to repair itagain for free," he said, adding that all contracts would be awarded toreputed companies.