With the assembly polls due next year, the state government has set out an agenda to improve road infrastructure in Bihar over the next one year in which the Road Construction department (RCD) will undertake repair of 1,855 km roads and 124 bridges, RCD minister said today.
The RCD under its action plan for 2014-15, decided to repair State Highways and Major District Roads (MDRs) with an estimated length of 846 km at an estimated cost of Rs 1,156 crore, RCD Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh told reporters.
A decision has been taken that RCD would take over bad roads of Water Resources Department (WRD), Rural Works Department and Urban Development department comprising a total length of 1,009.45 km for construction in the same period at the cost of Rs 2,104.60 crore, Singh said.
In addition, 66 screw pipe bridges among 125 small bridges and culverts will also be upgraded into RCC bridges over the next one year at an estimated cost of Rs 533.33 crore, the RCD minister said.
The repair of above mentioned road and bridges have been decided in 2014-15 in view of availability of funds allocated to the RCD in the annual budget, Singh said, adding the work on these projects will start in the last week of November after award of tender for the same.
The RCD minister also announced a six-lane bridge-cum -road project between Kuchchi Dargah in Patna to Bidupur (Vaishali district) at an estimated cost of Rs 4,988.40 crore for which Manila-headquartered Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed in-principle to provide 500 million USD loan.
The RCD minister lashed out at the Centre and NHAI in particular, for neglecting road infrastructure in Bihar and said that despite the Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari making firm commitment, the repair of about 6-km long Gandhi Setu connecting South and North Bihar lies in tatters.
There is no proposal for repair and renovation of the Gandhi Setu as the Union Road Transport and Highway Ministry has not come up with a proposal for the purpose despite Gadkari giving a promise in this regard months ago, Singh said.
