Kochi: With less than two weeks until the deadline set to complete the projects under the Pradhan Mantri Grameen Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), work on 232 roads and 11 bridges in Kerala under the scheme remains incomplete.

While 81 per cent of the road projects sanctioned in the three editions of the scheme have been completed, only 26 per cent of the bridges have been finished. The data was presented by the central government in the Lok Sabha in reply to a set of questions raised by Congress MP K Sudhakaran on Tuesday.

Commenting on the data and the government’s response over it, Sudhakaran, the Congress president in Kerala, said both the Centre and state government were making unrealistic promises to the people of the state about the completion of the projects.

As per the official response from the Minister of State of Rural Development, a total of 1,807 roads covering 5,312.32 km and 15 bridges were sanctioned under PMGSY in Kerala. Out of this, only 1,575 roads covering 4,304.11 km and 4 bridges have been completed. This leaves 232 roads covering 969.45 km and 11 bridges still under construction across different phases of the scheme.

The reasons for the delays cited by the government include a reduction in curve length, a change in alignment and partial construction by other agencies. The government said rural road is a state subject and PMGSY is a one-time special intervention of the central government to provide rural connectivity, by way of a single all-weather road, to the eligible unconnected habitations in the core network. It said as per PMGSY programme guidelines, the execution of PMGSY projects is the responsibility of the state government.

''The timeline for the completion of PMGSY-I, PMGSY-II, and PMGSY-III is set for March 31, 2025. The state has been advised to accelerate progress and ensure the completion of all pending works within the stipulated timeline,'' the government reply said.

Sudhakaran, however, said the Union government has conveniently shifted the blame onto the state government instead of accepting responsibility for completing the projects on time.

''How is it possible to complete 73% of the pending bridges within the next two weeks? It is evident that both the central and state governments have been misleading the public with false promises,'' he said.