World Bank's bribery report in highway projects extremely serious: Nitish Kumar

PATNA: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar described as 'extremely serious' a reported World Bank report on bribery in highway project and NHAI officials being put up in posh hotels and offered gold coins and demanded a 'thorough probe' into it.

The guilty should be punished, Kumar said and added he had doubts in his mind about scam in Lucknow-Muzaffarpur highway.

On Army Chief VK Singh's revelations about offer to bribe him, Kumar said: “The Centre is not finding a solution to any issue on time... It has led to increase in controversies and disputes. It is quite unfortunate.”

Reiterating his demand for special state status for Bihar, Kumar said it was now being examined by the Plan Panel and a delegation of the state had already made detailed presentation before it.

On Sam Pitroda's remark that there was no need to grant special status category to Bihar, Kumar said he was just an advisor to the PM on public information, infrastructure and innovation and was not a member of the Plan Panel.