Bihar roads construction praised by ADB

PATNA: Road construction work in Bihar drew praise from Asian Development Bank (ADB) which promised all assistance to the state government in future projects.

"A lot of good work have been done in Bihar in the field of roads. We will provide all assistance to the government in further promoting good roads in the state," Sri Widowati, Director, Transport & Communication division, South Asia department of ADB who was here for talks on new projects, told reporters today.

The four-member ADB team, of which Widowati is a member, had a meeting with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar yesterday. Road Construction Department Secretary Pratya Amrit was also present in the meeting.

Widowati apprised Kumar about the good work being done by Bihar State Road Development Corporation (BSRDC) in the execution of ADB projects and rated it to be one the best in the country, a BSRDC statement said.

The chief minister asked the delegation to consider new proposals under regional connectivity scheme and also to provide further assistance for newly notified state highways.

He explained at length the importance of the 21.5 km long 'Ganga path' from Deedarganj to Digha near here, envisaged as a parallel road along the banks of the river, and requested ADB to finance it, the statement added.

The NDA government in Bihar has been giving top priority to construction of roads and has declared 4,857 km as state highways. Work is in progress on a 387 km stretch.

Kumar while presenting the annual report card of his government in November last year had claimed that except for Kisanganj, road journey from any district headquarters to capital Patna could be made within six hours.