Centre has not given a penny for road repair: MP minister

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Public Works Minister Sajjan Singh Verma on Friday accused the Centre of not giving funds to repair state roads and bridges damaged by heavy rainfall during monsoon.

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He said the Union government was discriminating against states ruled by non-BJP governments.

"We demanded Rs 1,188 crore from the Centre to repair roads, culverts and bridges under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). The Centre has not given a penny so far," Verma claimed.

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Verma added that efforts taken on a war-footing after the rains subsided ensured that damaged roads became motorable in a short span of time, adding that all rain-affected roads would be repaired by November 30.

Lashing out at the BJP, which ruled the state for 15 years since 2003, and former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Verma said, "You (BJP) should be ashamed as these roads were built during your tenure. In a short span of time, roads have got damaged. All this is due to corruption under the previous BJP government."

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He said the state government would start a probe into the condition of the roads and punish the guilty.