Rural roads, which imply low-volume roads in india, have suffered a great deal for want of resources and organizational support. A paltry amount, without any rationale, is generally provided in the budget of the local authorities. The quality of work done is far belowthe standard specifications. In many cases, rural roads, bridges, and materials thereof become targets of vandalism at the hands of aggrieved persons and antisocial elements. The need for proper upkeep and maintenance of roads calls for augmentation of adequate resourcesand their proper utilization. Much of the problems come from inept organizational deficiencies largely emanating from centralized administrative control located in the state and district headquarters. Inorder to ensure the requisite flow of resources and their proper utilization, the involvement of local beneficiaries appears to be a great imperative. Their involvement will further facilitate preparation of an appropriate plan of road construction and its efficient execution. Beneficiaries' participation can be streamlined through the agency of gram-panchayat, a village level administrative unit consisting of a peoples' representative that already exists with fiscal, judiciary, and executive powers. The gram-panchayats are a symbol of decentralized administration. They will be ideal from the point of view both of efficiency and equity. This paper appears in transportation research record no. 1291, Fifth international conference on low-volume roads, may 19-23, 1991, raleigh, north carolina, volume 1.
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