Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav today criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his government's "non-cooperative" attitude towards Bihar.
The Prime Minister had announced a special package for the state during Assembly polls but it (Bihar) did not get even a word's mention in this year's Budget, the Deputy Chief Minister said while dedicating a pontoon bridge, constructed parallel to the dilapidated Mahatma Gandhi setu, to the people of state.
Addressing the public at the inaugural function, the Deputy Chief Minister who is also the Road Construction Department Minister, said that "The pontoon bridge has been built and dedicated to the public within a short span of time keeping in mind the dilapidated condition of Mahatma Gandhi setu and the frequent jam on it."
Yadav, who was accompanied by Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav, dedicated the bridge at a function held at Chhaukia village under Terasiya panchayat which falls under his Raghopur Assembly constituency in Vaishali district.
Four under construction bridges, across the state being constructed on the river Ganga, would be completed within four months, he said.
In order to further ease off the traffic pressure on the Mahatma Gandhi setu, the minister announced that road deck of the Digha rail-cum-road bridge and Ara-Chapra bridge would be dedicated as a gift to the public on June 11, the birthday of RJD president Lalu Prasad.
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The pontoon bridge, whose overall length including
approach road from both sides is around 6 km, has been opened for our-wheelers and three-wheelers from Hajipur side to Patna from 6 am to 6 pm.
Motorcycles would be allowed to ply to and fro, official sources said.
The actual length of the pontoon bridge is around 2 km comprising 157 pontoons constructed on the river Ganga, a Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Ltd (BRPNNL), an agency entrusted with job of constructing the pontoon bridge, official said.
The bridge has been built at a cost of Rs 89 crore.
"Initially, it was decided that light motor vehicles and three-wheelers would be allowed to pass through the pontoon bridge from Hajipur to Patna side between 6 am to 6pm while traffic from Patna to Hajipur will be allowed to ply between 6 pm to 6 am.
But since there is no arrangement of electricity on the bridge, it has been decided to run traffic from Hajipur to Patna side only between 6 am to 6 pm," Patna Traffic Superintendent of Police Prantosh Kumar Das told
