BHUBANESWAR: In a bid to ensure that roads and bridges in the 33 worst Maoist-affected districts in the country are completed in time, Centre has decided to review and monitor progress of their construction regularly. Cabinet Secretary KS Chandrasekhar will hold a meeting through video conference to assess the progress of the construction work as the projects face delay because of the Maoist threat. The Centre has decided to give a push to the road and bridge projects in the affected areas simultaneously with the launch of the joint anti-Maoist campaign. Union Home Secretary GK Pillai had also reviewed the progress of bridge projects in the border areas of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Building of five bridges has been delayed as no local contractor came forward to take up the project work due to threat from the Maoists. Secretary in the Works Department Suvendu Ray said that Centre had sanctioned financial assistance for eight road projects in the five Naxalite affected districts in the State to be executed by the department. The five districts where the roads are located include Malkangiri, Rayagada, Gajapati, Sambalpur and Deogarh. The project cost of the eight roads are Rs 560 crore which include Sindurpanka- Samarsingha (Rs 39.63 crore), Bhawanipatna-Gunupur-Kashipur- Rupukana (Rs 55 crore), JKPur-Muniguda (Rs 120 crore), Parlakhemundi- Mohana (Rs 140 crore), Gunupur- Andhra Pradesh border (Rs 88 crore), Govindpur-Sileru (Rs 51 crore), Balimela junction-Dibhoter (Rs 40 crore) and Malkangiri-Kalimela (Rs 62 crore). The Works Secretary said that the State Government floated national tenders for the road projects after receiving sanction of financial assistance from the Centre. He said that the participation for the road projects in the tenders had been good. The State Government had to float tenders several times without success for construction of Motu and Gurupriya bridges in the border areas of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Orissa because of the Maoist threat. It has been decided that local contractors will be entrusted with the construction of the bridges with enhanced security from the Centre. Proposal from the State Government to engage Border Roads Organisation (BRO) in the construction of the bridges was rejected.