Question

The public works department builds and maintains
A. State highways
B. District roads
C. Roads in big cities
D. Roads in villages

Answer 1

Hint:Public Works Department (PWD) is the premier Government agency of NCT of Delhi.
It is involved in the maintenance of Government assets in the field of “built environment” and “infrastructure development”.

Complete answer:
Public Works Department (PWD) is the premier Government agency of NCT of Delhi. It is involved in planning, designing, construction and maintenance of Government assets in the field of built environment and infrastructure development.
Hospitals, Schools, Colleges, Technical Institutes, Police Buildings, Prisons, Courts etc, are the assets included in the built environment while the assets included in infrastructure development are Roads, Bridges, Flyovers, Footpaths, Subways, Foot Over Bridges etc.
These assets are also maintained and preserved by the PWD Delhi through a fully developed maintenance system which includes amongst others specific services like rehabilitation works, roads signage and aesthetic treatments like interiors, monument lighting, landscaping etc.

Option (A) State highways:- These are the roads linking a state capital with different district headquarters. The State Public Works Department (PWD) constructs and maintains these highways in State and Union Territories.
Option (B) District roads:- These are major roads within a district, connecting Taluka headquarters and major rural areas to district headquarters. They are also linked with the state highways and national highways. District roads are sub-classified into "Major District Roads" (MDRs) and "Other District Roads" (ODRs). The authority and responsibility to build district roads lie within the Zila Parishads.
Option (C) Roads in big cities:- It is an incorrect option as there are various kinds of roads in big cities and the type of road asked is not specified.
Option (D) Roads in villages:- These serve as the roads for inter-village movements as well as feeder roads of the other Highways. These roads connect the villages to one another and to the nearest District Roads, State Highways, National Highways, Railways, etc. Prior to 2000 all the rural roads were constructed and maintained by respective state road agencies but since then all the rural roads are constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).

Hence the correct answer is option A.

Note:1. It is the responsibility of the State Government to maintain the rural roads constructed under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).
2. As per the guidelines of the programme, State Governments are expected to handle the maintenance of the entire Core Network, particularly the road works constructed/upgraded under the PMGSY.