Mumbai, Aug 6 (IANS) Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday announced that the state government will make a comprehensive and concrete plan to strengthen farm and village access roads across the state by the end of September, with a provision of strict action against those obstructing road construction to ensure effective implementation.

Minister Bawankule said that to give shape to this plan, three meetings of a study group comprising officials from the Revenue, Rural Development, and Employment Guarantee Scheme departments will be held. He stated that the committee will conduct three meetings and present a final report to the cabinet by the end of September. The responsibility of making this plan successful lies significantly with the MLAs.

Committee members have suggested imposing penalties on those obstructing road construction to ensure effective implementation. The first meeting of the committee, formed to devise a comprehensive plan for strengthening farm and village access roads, was held on Wednesday at the Mantralaya under the chairmanship of Minister Bawankule, said the government release.

Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore, Employment Guarantee and Horticulture Minister Bharat Gogawale, Minister of State for Finance and Planning Ashish Jaiswal, along with committee member MLAs and senior officials from various departments, were present.

“Often, despite 90 per cent of farmers agreeing, roads are not constructed due to opposition from just 10 per cent of individuals. MLA Abhimanyu Pawar demanded that penal action be taken against such obstructers, with the cost of road construction recovered from them and, if necessary, action under Section 353. Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore also emphasised the need for legal provisions to address those obstructing roads,” said the release.

Given that funding is a major issue for this plan, MLA Satyajit Deshmukh suggested creating a separate budget head. It was also proposed to explore the possibility of securing funds through the Employment Guarantee Scheme and the District Planning Committee (DPDC).

As village access roads will be a boon for rural areas, Settlement Commissioner of Land Records Suhas Diwase suggested documenting all roads in the 7/12 land records, defining their boundaries, and assigning survey numbers. It was also proposed that the ownership of these roads should remain with the Revenue Department.

Village access roads should be at least six meters wide and usable year-round. MLA Hemant Patil suggested that the authority for these works be given to tehsildars instead of gram panchayats to expedite progress.

Employment Guarantee Scheme Minister Bharat Gogawale stated that this plan is crucial for empowering farmers, while Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal proposed the goal of completing the plan’s implementation within two years.

–IANS

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