Patna: The senior official in Bihar’s road construction department has ordered district authorities to speed up land acquisition and clear bottlenecks holding up four major highway schemes, as the state government seeks to accelerate infrastructure development before the new financial year.
At a review meeting held on Monday in Patna, Pankaj Kumar Pal, secretary of the Road Construction Department, assessed progress on the four-lane Mokama–Munger Greenfield Expressway, the Siwan–Mashrakh road, the Bakarpur–Manikpur stretch and the Mahenshkhunt–Saharsa–Purnia upgrade. The discussions focused on land acquisition, construction timelines and physical progress.
The 82.4km Mokama–Munger Greenfield Expressway, approved at an estimated cost of Rs 4,447 crore, will connect Mokama in Patna district with Lakhisarai, Sheikhpura and Munger. Officials described it as a key corridor intended to ease travel and stimulate economic activity in central and eastern Bihar. Pal directed officers to resolve land acquisition hurdles “expeditiously”, calling the project strategically important for the region.
The secretary also reviewed the Siwan–Mashrakh project, which covers 44.5km in Siwan district and 5.6km in Saran district at a cost of about Rs 1,399 crore. Officials said the scheme is aimed at improving intra-district connectivity and reducing travel time between the two areas.
On the 38.81km Bakarpur–Manikpur Road Project, part of the Patna–Bettiah High Speed Corridor, the department reported steady progress. The project, estimated at Rs 1,422 crore, is expected to strengthen connectivity in western Bihar. Pal spoke to the district magistrate concerned and instructed him to remove pending obstacles related to land acquisition.
The review concluded with an assessment of the Mahenshkhunt–Saharsa–Purnia Road Project, a two-lane upgradation scheme that is 91% complete. Officials said the remaining work is targeted for completion by April, subject to resolution of outstanding land issues.
Pal asked officials and representatives of the National Highways Authority of India to intensify efforts to acquire land and clear procedural delays across all four schemes. He said timely completion would improve regional connectivity, support economic growth and employment, and ease traffic congestion across large parts of the state.
