Challenge:
India has one of the largest and densest road networks in the world, with a total of 3.3 million km. However, till the year 2000, around 30% of its population, or 300 million people, lacked access to all-weather roads. Moreover, a large part of the 2.7 million km network of rural roads was in poor condition. In late 2000, the Government of India launched its National Rural Roads Program (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana or PMGSY) to improve rural connectivity in a systematic manner. Until the end of 2010, the program had added 300,000 kms of rural roads, and improved connectivity to over 73,000 habitations.
The World Bank commenced its support to the PMGSY in September 2004 with a $ 400 million Rural Roads Project (2004 -2012 ). The project supported the program in building roads in select districts of Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
In December 2010, the World Bank approved a further $1.5 billion for the program to continue improving connectivity, especially in the economically weaker and hilly states. The new project will benefit an estimated 6.1 million people in Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh where it aims to provide 91% connectivity on average by constructing 24,200 km of all-weather roads.
The project will introduce e-procurement, social audits, and performance-based maintenance. More than 20,000 engineers, many contractors, and a skilled and unskilled workforce will be trained in modern road engineering practices and business procedures. The project also includes $60 million in technical assistance to build the capacity of the rural roads agencies, especially in the management of assets and the maintenance of roads.
Results:
From the rough, mountainous terrain of Himachal Pradesh to the dry, rugged landscape of Rajasthan, new roads are revitalizing the rural economy, raising incomes, and improving the quality of rural life. Farmers now find it easier to take their produce to market in time, school enrollment is on the rise, and families' access to health care has improved.
The Rural Roads Project has also brought about a paradigm shift in the way rural roads are mapped, designed, monitored, and built:
Innovations:
People Make the Choices: A unique feature of the program is the ‘Transect Walk’ where representatives of local communities walk the entire stretch of the proposed road so that their concerns can be taken into account at the design stage itself. For instance, where the community feels that a culturally sacred place, a heritage site, or an important seasonal water body will be affected by the road, an alternative route is found. If the proposed route crosses a very poor villager’s land, it is ensured that this land is not acquired.
Green Norms Established: The project has helped to lay down an environmental protection code to ensure that trees are planted along the newly built roads, steep hillsides are stabilized, the top soil is not affected, and debris from construction is not left behind after the work is done.
Quality Control: Before the project began, each state government had its own benchmarks for the quality of construction. The project has helped to establish common standards for all states across the country. The capacity of small local contractors to deliver works of the desired quality has been enhanced. Government engineering staff have also been exposed to global best practices in road construction.
Ongoing Maintenance Ensured: Contracts for road building have in-built 5 year maintenance contracts that ensure that the contractor builds a good quality road at the outset and continues to maintain it for five years thereafter.
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