Patna: Bihar’s road construction minister, Dr Dilip Kumar Jaiswal, has reviewed the progress of Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for a major slate of national highway projects, urging officials to plan bypasses with a 25-year horizon and accelerate approvals to avoid delays. The review was held under the state’s annual action plan for 2025–26 and attended by senior departmental officials and engineers.
According to officials, DPRs are being prepared for 52 projects with a combined estimated cost of Rs 33,464 crore. These include the Anisabad–AIIMS elevated corridor, the Vikramshila bridge, four-lane bypasses at Aurangabad and Singheswar, the Arwal–Bihar Sharif road, and several railway overbridges. Of the total projects, 36 are being handled by the national highways wing, 14 by the Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam Limited (BRPNNL), and two by the Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDCL).
The projects form part of a broader push to widen highways, construct bypasses, and build bridges and railway crossings across Bihar. Officials said the programme aims to improve connectivity, ease traffic congestion, and support economic growth by strengthening links between rural and urban areas.
Several schemes have already received approval, including four-lane bypasses at Arwal and Daudnagar, the Magardahi Ghat high-level bridge, stretches of NH-322, the Dhaka Mode to Baljhor corridor, the New Gandak bridge, and the Samastipur–Darbhanga section of NH-322. These approved projects are valued at Rs 4,645 crore, with six additional DPRs expected to be submitted to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways by mid-February.
Dilip Jaiswal directed officials to remove bottlenecks in DPR preparation and warned against delays in alignment approvals, submissions and scrutiny. He said letters would be sent to the prime minister’s office, the ministry and the union minister to resolve pending issues, stressing that no irregularities should be tolerated at any level.
The minister also emphasised long-term urban planning, saying bypasses should be built away from cities while taking population growth and future traffic volumes into account. He ordered immediate finalisation of DPRs for projects with approved alignments and instructed teams to follow up with the central ministry on pending compliances.
A separate team has been assigned to fast-track the Ram Janaki Marg project linking Mashrakh, Chakia and Bhithamore, with weekly progress reports mandated. Jaiswal also called for closer coordination with the railways to clear obstacles in bridge projects, urging departments, agencies and consultants to work jointly to meet deadlines.
