By Chirag Gupta
Patna: Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha chaired a detailed review meeting on Thursday to assess the progress of Bihar’s Road Construction Department projects. Attendees included Additional Chief Secretary Mihir Kumar Singh, Secretary Sandeep Kumar R. Pudkalkatti, Special Secretary B. Karthikeya Dhanji, Shirshat Kapil Ashok, and Additional Secretary Shailaja Sharma.
During the meeting, it was reported that 52.24% of the department’s budget allocation had been utilized in the current fiscal year. Despite the rainy season affecting four of the past seven months, Rs 3,295 crore, or 78.55% of the annual budget, had been spent by October. With the monsoon now over, officials emphasized the need to accelerate the pace of ongoing projects. Key targets include completing the remaining work on Ganga Path by January 2025 and finishing sections of the Mithapur-Mahuli and Tajpur-Bakhtiyarpur projects, including the Ganga bridge, by March 2025.
Looking ahead, the department plans to upgrade single-lane State Highways and Major District Roads (MDRs) to double lanes, which will require additional budget allocations. Currently, around 360 kilometers of road widening under these categories is in progress, with 90 projects already completed on schedule this financial year.
Officials have been directed to promptly prepare an action plan for the upcoming financial year to ensure the smooth initiation of proposed projects. The Road Construction Department aims to prioritize public utility projects and remains committed to fulfilling the state’s infrastructure development goals under the leadership of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
