PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar reviewed the progress of the Centre- managed ‘big infrastructure projects’ in the state, and found that many of them appeared to be in ‘pause’ rather than ‘fast forward’ mode.

At the review meeting, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar observed that though the state government had provided land for expansion of Patna airport in response to the aviation ministry request, but nothing has so far happened. The state made land available for an airport at Bihta, in south Patna and 1,500 acres between Pawapuri and Nalanda but there has been no movement on this at the Centre’s end.

Bihar needs an airport at Darbhanga and another one at Purnia. A proposal will be dashed off soon to the Union civil aviation ministry for building them, and expanding Patna airport as well.

Power plants: The CM also said the state had provided 1,410 acres of land to NTPC for 2500 MW power plants at Nabi- nagar project in Aurangabad district.

The officials told the CM that the NHAI had to complete the approach road of Digha rail-cum-road bridge over the river Ganga and the central agency was to be blamed for the delay in its completion. The CM asked the principal secretary, road construction department, to get the approach road on both sides of the bridge completed at the earliest. He directed the urban development department principlal secretary to rehabilitate the displaced people elsewhere in the city under Rajiv Awaas Yojana. He also directed the NHAI project director to complete the approach road of Munger rail-cum-road bridge soon.

Kumar urged the East Central Railway General Manager A K Mittal, present at the meeting, to fix the transport rake point for local transportation of goods. He told Mittal to expedite work on the new rail lines between Neora and Daniyawan and Biharsharif-Sheikhpura besides doubling the Bakhtiayarpur-Rajgir track.

The CM directed principal secretary, planning and development

department Dr Dipak Prasad to appoint an officer on special duty for rail-cum-road bridges to facilitate land acquisition for the projects. Nitish told the NHAI GM to expedite work on Pipra Kothi-Raxaul and Gaya-Dobhi roads which were important routes for tourism. He also said the land for six-lane Aurangabad-Barwadda road would be provided to NHAI free on ‘As is where is’ basis. He stressed on the need to renovate the Patna-Maner road and asked NHAI to start work on Chhapra-Gopalganj road.

CM also reviewed progress of several other projects . Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and development commissioner S K Negi were among others present at the meet.

  Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, development, Patna, Rajiv Awas yojana