Name one Indian state that has been inaugurating one new bridge every alternate day for the past eight years. Answer: Bihar!

Believe it or not, this is really happening in Bihar, the state counted among the least developed in India. The genie that sprung out of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s development the bottle is the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL). The Bihar State Bridge Building Corporation has set a benchmark in terms of ensuring better connectivity between Bihar’s hinterlands and the state capital, observers say.

In the span of eight years, BRPNNL has completed about 1300 bridges. A stupendous task indeed. The citizens of Bihar, the third largest state in terms of population are closer to the dream of reducing the travel time, so that one can reach Patna from the farthest corners of Bihar within six hours. The bridge building spree has ensured ease of access to the remotest part of the state, as helped speedier development of  the “hardest-to-reach” people because of better connectivity.

Credit for reformation of this organization, once a floundering body, goes to efficient governance of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who coined the slogan ‘Aapki Sarkar, aapke dwaar’.

One of the most tangible achievements, according to BRPNNL Chairman Sridhar C, is the Baluaha Ghat Bridge over the Kosi riverin Saharsa district. BRPNNL finished this in record time, i.e. less than four years. The Bridge was inaugurated in December 2013, one month ahead of the scheduled date of completion. Two other mega projects, Arwal-Sahar bridge over the Sone and Dhana-Ratwal bridge over the Gandak river, are other important achievements.

The bridge building corporation [BRPNNL] claims to be constructing the longest extradosed bridge in India at 1.19 km, over Ara-Chapra . But there is a longer  one being constructed in Gujarat over the Narbada which is 1.3 km, it is learnt. An extradosed bridge has a structure combines features of a girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. The name comes from the French word extradossé, which is derived from the word extrados, the exterior curve of an arch.

According to insiders, the combination of resourceful government, efficient management, encouraging good work by giving reward and commitment to deliver has led to the turnaround of BRPNNL into an ‘infrastructural’ giant thus bridging the hope and trust among the Bihar public who look forward to for better days.

[ content writer: Ravi Ranjan]

  Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited, BRPNNL