The Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has been urged by the Madhya Pradesh government to resolve issues related to national highways, pending for a long time. Madhya Pradesh Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on January 28 appealed to the Prime Minister refund Rs 200 crore to the state spent by it on repairing and maintenance of national highways.    

The Chief Minister also sought clearance of pending bills worth Rs 250 crore and said only Rs 57 crore would be required for repairing stretches of national highway Nos. 3 and 7. He handed over to the prime minster a detailed letter seeking early disposal of issues.    

Manmohan Singh assured Chouhan that he would talk to the union minister concerned for quick disposal. Chouhan said across the country, maintenance of national highways is done through the state national highway division of the Public Works Department and funds are provided by Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.    

This procedure has not been followed in Madhya Pradesh and requisite funds for maintenance of national highways have not been provided to the state. He apprised the prime minister of the state's initiative saying the State has invested more than Rs 200 crore from its own funds for maintenance of the NH.    

He described it as an unprecedented step taken by any state government without any recompense from the ministry of road transport and highways.