Patna: Bihar road construction minister Engineer Shailendra on Tuesday approved a revised alignment for the Kusheshwar Asthan bypass project in Darbhanga district.
The bypass was announced during chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Pragati Yatra. The project involves construction of a bypass from Asma bridge on the Darbhanga–Kusheshwar Asthan road (SH-56) to Dhaboulia on the Kusheshwar Asthan–Phultora Ghat road.
The original proposal covered a stretch of 3.855 km and had received administrative approval at an estimated cost of Rs 85 crore.
Concerns over displacement and acquisition costs
According to the road construction department, the earlier alignment largely passed through greenfield areas close to human settlements. The project initially required acquisition of 30.517 acres of land, for which Rs 42.31 crore had been earmarked.
However, the district administration later informed the department that land acquisition costs could rise to nearly Rs 100 crore because of the proximity to residential areas.
Officials also raised concerns over safety and the likelihood of displacement of several families if the original alignment was retained.
New alignment approved
Following consultations with the Darbhanga district administration, the department selected a new alignment for the bypass.
The revised route will have a total length of 6.853 km, nearly three kilometer longer than the earlier proposal.
The new alignment will require acquisition of 61.0454 acres of land. However, officials said acquisition costs are expected to remain comparatively lower as the route avoids densely populated settlements.
The department said the revised plan was finalised with the objective of minimising public displacement and improving project feasibility.
