Patna: The Bihar government has announced a major rural infrastructure push to widen all village roads across the state to 5.5 metres (intermediate lane standard), aiming to improve connectivity and accessibility. Rural Works Minister Ashok Choudhary made the announcement in the Assembly on Wednesday while presenting the department’s Rs 11,312 crore budget.
According to the minister, a total of 1.25 lakh kilometres of rural roads will be widened in phases. In the first phase, 595 roads with a combined length of 1,888 kilometres have been selected. Selection of roads will be based on availability of government land, and surveys will be conducted through a mobile application.
The government also plans to connect rural government hospitals, schools, markets, banks, and tourist destinations to main roads to strengthen last-mile connectivity and support local development.
Opposition members Rahul Kumar and Alok Mehta of RJD, Mohammad Akhtarul Hoda of Congress, Akhtarul Iman of AIMIM, and Satish Kumar Singh of BSP moved cut-motion proposals during the budget discussion. The minister urged them to withdraw their motions, stating that otherwise road construction in their constituencies might be affected.
Focus on quality and training
To maintain construction standards, 480 assistant engineers are being trained at IIT institutions, the minister said. He added that the state has already built 1.20 lakh kilometres of rural roads and 2,834 bridges at a cost of Rs 68,034 crore, while repair work has been completed on 49,390 kilometres of old roads.
Political exchange in House
During the discussion, former minister and BJP MLA Pramod Kumar questioned the global tenders issued for road construction, raising concerns about the process. In response, Choudhary remarked that Kumar was speaking like an opposition member and said his conduct resembled that of an opposition legislator.
