Tejashwi praises Union Minister Gadkari for assuring help in Bihar's road construction

PATNA: Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Monday assured the Centre`s all possible help to Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav in the implementation of road projects in the state.

Tejashwi who is in charge of Bihar's road construction department heaped praise on the Union Minister by saying another name for development was Gadkari. He said Gadkari did not consider political affiliation when it came to development.

“Gadkari increased the Central Road Fund (CRF) for Bihar by Rs 200 crore. I have learnt a lot from the Union Minister as impediments coming in the construction of 53 ROBs were removed during his tenure,” he added.

Tejaswhi also requested Gadkari to extend Eastern Expressway up to Bhagalpur and also approve the elevated road project from Kachchi Dargah to AIIMS to decongest road traffic in the state capital. 

Gadkari remarked while laying the foundation for a 1.5 km long two-lane elevated RCC bridge near Panduka on Son river in Rohtas district, "We keep development and politics separate while considering issues related to various projects."

It will be built at a cost of Rs 210 crores. The minister said that with the construction of this bridge, NH-19 and NH-39 would be directly connected, reducing the distance between Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

With the construction of the Panduka RCC bridge, one will be able to reach from Nauhatta in Rohtas district to Garhwa district in Jharkhand by covering a distance of only 2-3 km. Previously, one had to cover a distance of 150 km. Similarly, the distance between Panduka bridge and the border of Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh is now only 13 km. Sonbhadra city is now only a 55 km drive from the bridge instead of 185 km.