PATNA: CM Nitish Kumar on Friday inaugurated the first phase of the six-lane road from R-Block to Digha in the state capital.
Named as ‘Atal Path’ in the memory of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the road has been built at a cost of Rs297 crore. It’s second phase from Digha to JP Setu is under construction and will be ready at a cost of Rs69 crore. This 4/6-lane main road also has two service lanes.
The road, which boasts of several state-of-the-art facilities, will provide smooth vehicular movement from Patna Junction and Secretariat areas to Digha and its neighbouring localities. The modern road has CCTV cameras, electronic signage and solar-powered automatic street lights, offering signal-free drive. Rainwater harvesting facility has also been there throughout the road.
Commuters of Digha, Rajiv Nagar, Indrapuri, Patliputra Colony, Mahesh Nagar, Keshri Nagar, Shivpuri, Punaichak, Sri Krishna Puri and R-Block areas can now travel from one end to the other of the road in five to seven minutes as against 40-45 minutes taken earlier.
The CM also inspected a newly-constructed park at the starting point of the new road near the R-Block.
After its inauguration, the CM, accompanied by ministers and officials, inspected the entire stretch of the road. He also inspected two diagrams related to the phase-2 of the road and a foot overbridge near Digha.
Nitish asked the road construction department officials to complete the second phase of the road as early as possible.
As the new road crosses through highly-populated areas, the CM ordered construction of additional foot overbridge at three places — near the MLC flat, Punaichak and Digha flyover. He also honoured the officials, including former Patna DM Kumar Ravi, for excellent work in completing the first phase of the project.
Later, talking to the media, Nitish said the work for connecting this road to the JP Setu and the Ganga Path would be completed in the next few months. “This road will provide much relief to people going to north Bihar from the state capital and vice versa,” Nitish said.
The CM also said several roads and bridges were being constructed and existing roads widened as part of the state government’s decision to ensure that people from any part of the state could reach Patna within five hours.
Replying to a question on the murder of IndiGo’s station manager at Patna airport Rupesh Kumar Singh and rising incidents of crime in the state, Nitish said Bihar was at 23rd place on crime graph in the country. “I myself talked to the DGP and no one will be spared in the crime. The criminals will be punished through speedy trial in a court. Police are investigating the case. It’s also necessary to ascertain the reason behind any crime,” Nitish said and advised the media not to demoralize the police force. “Those policemen, who are found lax in duty, also get punished,” he added.