Speed Post News Network
Patna : Union Minister for Road Transport, Highways and MSMEs Nitin Gadkari on July 31, 2020, inaugurated the upstream carriageway of Mahatma Gandhi bridge over river Ganga through video conference in Bihar.
The function was presided over by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar. Union Ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Ravishankar Prasad, MoS Gen (Retd) V K Singh, Ashwani Kumar Choubey and Shri Nityanand Rai, Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi, State RCD Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, members of Parliament Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Ram Kripal Yadav, Pashupati Kumar Paras, and Veena Devi, senior officers of central govt and from the State govt attended the function.
This over 5.5 km four-lane bridge lies at NH-19 between Patna and Hajipur. It is being constructed at a cost of Rs 1,742 crore. It involves replacement of the existing concrete superstructure of old bridge by new steel deck superstructure. Work on this bridge was started in June 2017.
The bridge is schedule to be completed in two parts. Upstream lane has been completed in July 2020. Thereafter downstream lane shall be taken up and will be completed by 2021. The new steel superstructure consisting of about 6,600 metric steel is being provided by replacing old existing distressed concrete superstructure. This is a new type of work being executed in India for the first time. Beneficiary districts on the Northern side include Vaishali, Saran, Muzzafarpur, Samastipur, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Siwan, and Eastern UP. And on the Southern side – Patna, Ara, Arwal, Jahanabad, Nalanda, Gaya, Aurangabad, and Jharkhand State, according to a PIB release.
Speaking on the occasion, Gadkari said, this is the first ever bridge using modern technology for improving the existing structure. Calling it an engineering marvel, he said, it can be a good case study for civil engineering students. He announced a new bridge over river Ganga in Patna, which will be 5 km long, with larger spans to facilitate movement of ships under it. He said its tender will be out next month and the work will start soon. It will cost about Rs 3,000 crore.
Gadkari recalled his dream of a national waterways network under which three metre depth of water has been ensured in river Ganga between Prayagraj and Haldiya in West Bengal. He said dredging has been completed between Prayagraj and Varanasi. In the next phase, one metre draft is being worked on in river Yamuna between Delhi and Prayagraj. He informed that Rs 12,000 crore worth DPR has already been submitted to the World Bank for this phase.
Gadkari called upon the political leadership of Bihar to consider adopting river transport in a big way as it is a cheaper and environment friendly. By adopting river Transport for commercial activities, he said, the governments and business community can easily bring down its logistic cost.
He informed that over Rs 10,000 crore worth of bridge work being undertaken in Bihar will transform employment scenario in the State. He advocated industrialisation to eradicate poverty, unemployment, and hunger among large sections of population. He suggested utilising the huge capacity of artisans and handicraft and handloom workers through development of MSME clusters along the Highways.
CM Nitish Kumar, in his address, welcomed the efforts of the Prime Minister who announced a huge development package for the State last year. He also complimented Gadkari for speedily completing the Highways and bridges in the State. He, however, requested him to also consider another 2 or 4 lane bridge parallel to the existing Vikramshila bridge. He also indicated towards the need for a direct route between Buxar and Varanasi. The Chief Minister also pointed out the need for uniformity in NH width for smooth flow of traffic.
The Chief Minister welcomed the suggestion of Gadkari on MSME sector and informed that the State government is working hard to provide employment opportunities to the returned migrant labour. He said Bihar is always in the forefront of MSME development and requested for enhancement in central support in this respect, also in view of higher population density in the State.
Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan recalled his Hajipur days since 1977, when, he said, only a steamer service was available to cross the river. He said he remembers how almost full day used to be spent waiting for the steamer and crossing the river.
Union Minister Ravishankar Prasad called it a historic day for Bihar. He said this is such a popular work that if it had not been the COVID era, lakhs of people would have gathered to witness this event at a physical function.
The total length of NH in Bihar is 5,301 km. which was 4,554 km during 2014. The total length has been increased by adding additional lengh of 747 Km new NH. At present, various schemes of Highway and bridges are in progress at a cost of about Rs 27,270 crore for overall development of Bihar. The Ministry has sanctioned more than Rs 10,000 crore to be distributed to the farmers as a compensation of their land being acquired for development of National Highways. Out of this, approx Rs.6,800 core has already been transferred directly to the respective farmers.