The Union ministry of rural development has decided to install GPS trackers in vehicles used by private construction firms to construct roads under the PMGSY (Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana) in Bengal and monitor the movement of such vehicles and equipment to confirm that the firm concerned is engaging those an appropriate manner to build a road that meets the stipulated quantity standards. According to sources, when central teams visited different districts of the state, residents of many rural areas complained that the roads in their places were not built properly. “Also, there were several accusations that funds sanctioned for such roads were being siphoned and those that were built had only a thin layer of bitumen, with road rollers and other equipment barely used. That is why, it seems, the decision (of GPS trackers) has been made,” said a source. The ministry, sources said, has decided to introduce this GPS system initially in Birbhum and Jalpaiguri districts. In due course, other districts of the state would be included under the plan. “A team of engineers and experts from the ministry have reached Bengal. They will install the trackers in the vehicles of contractors or construction firms who have been assigned to make certain stretches of rural roads under the PMGSY in these two districts,” said an official of Jalpaiguri district administration. The team, he said, will also train the engineers of the West Bengal State Rural Development Agency (WBSRDA), which functions under the state panchayat and rural development department, so that it can monitor the movement of these vehicles.

To build a rural road, road rollers, water tankers with sprinklers, excavators, bitumen mixers and some other vehicles and equipment are used, the official said. “Any PMGSY road should have the strength to bear a load of around 10 tonnes. To build a 1km road, there are certain specifications on what extent, or for how long, these vehicles and equipment are to be used. Once GPS trackers are fitted, the activity of these vehicles can be monitored. Once installed, the GPS can confirm if the required equipment has been engaged at the site concerned. If there is any anomaly, the administration can take up the issue with the construction firm,” the official added. In Jalpaiguri, six stretches of rural roads, which altogether amount to around 32km stretch of roads, have been identified in Maynaguri, Malbazar, Nagrakata, Sadar and Rajganj blocks. “The central team will install GPS trackers in all the vehicles and equipment of the contractors who have been assigned these jobs via tender,” said an executive engineer of WBSRDA.