Gujarat forced to repair roads at its own cost as Centre withholds PMGSY funds

Large parts of Gujarat roads suffered severe damage due to heavy rainfall this year. Highways and rural roads were riddled with potholes, causing hardship for motorists. Despite the poor condition of roads at several locations across the state, the Centre has not extended financial assistance under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) in the current financial year.

This has forced the state government to carry out road construction and repairs from its own resources.

Official data presented in Parliament shows that 2,443 rural habitations in Gujarat are still not connected by all-weather roads. This comes even as road conditions across the state deteriorated significantly following the monsoon, raising questions over quality and maintenance.

After widespread complaints, the chief minister had directed district in-charge ministers to review road repair works and submit reports. However, the exercise is said to have remained largely on paper, with several ministers reportedly remaining inactive. Road repair work is still ongoing in many areas.

Despite the worsening situation, the Centre did not release any PMGSY funds to Gujarat up to December 15, 2025, for the financial year 2025–26. In comparison, Gujarat received ₹298 crore in 2023–24, while the allocation was reduced to ₹220 crore in 2024–25.

With no central assistance this year, the financial burden of connecting unserved habitations and repairing damaged roads has fallen entirely on the state government. Even BJP legislators from Gujarat have reportedly written to the chief minister, demanding road construction in their constituencies, but many of these requests have been  unmet.