Parliament Question: PMGSY Projects in Dakshina Kannada

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4181 ANSWERED ON 19/08/2025 PMGSY PROJECTS IN DAKSHINA KANNADA

4181. Shri Captain BrijeshChowta:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) the details regarding the total road length (in km) sanctioned, completed and under construction under Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY) in Dakshina Kannada district since 2020;

(b) whether there are any delays in the completion of these sanctioned roads, if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has taken any steps to ensure better road connectivity in lower population density taluks of Sullia, Belthangadi and Puttur, if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether the Government has conducted any surveys and reports regarding the quality and maintenance of these roads, if so, the details thereof;

(e) the steps taken to ensure that the degraded roads are rehabilitated back to proper condition; and

(f) the details and total road length of PMGSY projects in Dakshina Kannada that have adopted green construction technologies? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a) to (c): A total of 424 Roads of length 2,571 Km has been sanctioned to State of Karnataka under Pradhan Mantri Gram SadakYojana (PMGSY)-III since 2020. During the same period, 784 roads of length 5,396 Km have been completed and 81 roads of 156 Km are balance to be completed under various stages of execution.

Page 1 of 3In Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, a total of 11 roads of length 71 Km have been sanctioned since 2020. During the same period, 21 roads of length 172 Km have been completed and 2 roads of 5.75 Km are balance to be completed under various stages of execution. There have been delays in the completion of the 21 sanctioned roads in Dakshina Kannada district which includes projects sanctioned in Sullia, Belthangadi and Puttur Block due to factors such as land issues, utility shifting, adverse weather conditions, shortage of construction materials, contractor’s slow progress, and unforeseen site conditions. The State has informed that all works have been completed.

‘Rural Roads’ is a State subject and timely completion of PMGSY roads is the responsibility of the respective State Governments.

State Governments are advised through various Regional Review meetings & Empowered Committee meetings to take suitable necessary action to expedite timely completion of road works under PMGSY. The following steps have also been taken by the Ministry

for expediting timely completion of PMGSY roads: i. States have been requested to augment executing capacity and contracting capacity and their compliance in this regard is regularly reviewed. ii. Bidding document provisions have been rationalized.

iii. Training is imparted to field engineers and contractors as well as their staff for capacity building. iv. Regular and structured review of physical & financial parameters is conducted at regular interval in various zones for a cluster of states of that zone.

(d) & (e): PMGSY envisages a three tier Quality Assurance Mechanism to ensure quality of road works during construction.

First-tier of this mechanism is in-house quality control at Programme Implementation Unit (PIU) level. Second-tier is structured as an independent quality monitoring at State level through State Quality Monitors (SQMs) in which provision of regular inspection of PMGSY works has been envisaged. The third-tier is an independent monitoring mechanism at the Central level. Under this tier, independent National Quality Monitors (NQMs) are engaged for inspections of PMGSY roads, selected at random. To promote transparency in quality monitoring, it is being ensured that Page 2 of 3independent monitors at the second and the third tier take at least 10 digital photographs at the work site including one of the field laboratories, for each road work inspected and upload the inspection reports on PMGSY programme management & monitoring website i.e. OMMAS, to facilitate public viewing of quality of road works being executed under the programme. Also, the abstract of the said Inspection Report is uploaded on website.

A total of 24 inspections have been carried out by NQMs from April, 2020 to July, 2025 in Dakshina Kannada district out of which 2 inspections were carried out on completed projects and remaining 22 inspections were carried out on ongoing projects. All were found satisfactory by the NQM.

Through eMARG (electronic maintenance of rural roads) i.e. maintenance MIS of PMGSY roads, all inspection data of roads under maintenance, along with geo-tagged and time stamped photographs are digitally recorded for creating a transparent and verifiable maintenance record. The system enables real-time monitoring, facilitates prompt identification of defects, and ensures that remedial actions are taken without delay. Since inception, eMarg has been extensively used to monitor roads during the entire five-year Defect Liability Period (DLP). The maintenance of 21 completed roads in Dakshina Kannada district is also recorded on eMARG.

In case of damage to PMGSY roads that is beyond routine maintenance, the States undertake required repair measures and recommence routine maintenance on eMARG.

(f): In the State of Karnataka, out of total 1,963 Km road length sanctioned under green technology, 1,937 Km has already been completed by the State. In Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka, total 46 Km road length has been sanctioned under green technology which has already been completed.

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