Six years after the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana-III (PMGSY-III), 83% of the bridges sanctioned for Gujarat are still unbuilt, raising concerns about the performance of both the state and central governments.
While road projects under the scheme have seen good progress, bridge construction has largely stalled. Since 2019, Gujarat was sanctioned 191 bridges, but work on 158 of them is still pending.
Gujarat’s progress report
According to a media report, Gujarat was approved for 300 roads (2,975.93 km) and 191 bridges. Of these, 283 roads (2,865.87 km) have already been completed — leaving just 5.6% of road work pending.
However, only 33 out of 191 bridges have been built, meaning nearly 83% of bridge projects remain unfinished even after six years.
Issues of allocation
The state’s share in the scheme also appears small. Nationally, PMGSY-III approved 15,972 roads and 3,212 bridges since its launch in 2019. Gujarat’s allocation was only 300 roads (1.87% of the national total) and 191 bridges (5.94%). So far, across India, 11,706 roads and 1,369 bridges have been completed under the scheme.