Sachchidanand Jha
Patna : PM Narendra Modi on October 14, 2017, gave a Diwali and Chhath gift to the people of Bihar by laying the foundation of four sewerage projects under Namami Gange programme and four National Highway (NH) projects worth over Rs 3,700 crore at Mokama in Patna district. Mokama is 82 km away from Patna, the capital of Bihar.
The four sewerage projects include Sewage Treatment Plant at Beur, Sewerage System with Sewer Network at Beur, Patna, Sewage Treatment Plant at Karmalichak and STP and Sewer Network at Saidpur in Patna. These projects together will create new STP capacity of 120 MLD and upgrade the existing by 20 MLD for Beur.
The four National Highway projects for which foundation was laid are : Four laning of Aunta–Simariya section of NH-31 and construction of 6-lane Ganga Setu, 4 laning of Bakhtiyarpur-Mokama section of NH-31, 2-lane construction of Maheshkhunt-Saharsa-Purnia section of NH 107 and 2-lane construction of Biharsharif-Barbigha-Mokama section of NH-82.
Addressing an impressive gathering on the occasion, PM Modi emphasised on connectivity for the development of the country and said that apart from linking villages with roads and then connecting them with business centres, his government was also working on prividing waterways to further expand the transport system.
Lashing out at the people who oppose construction of roads, the PM said that without roads development is not possible. He said that the Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Nitin Gadkari was executing infrastructure projects including roads and bridges worth Rs 53,000 crore in Bihar. It has happened during the last three years only in NDA regime, the PM said adding that earlier the infrastructure projects were neglected.
PM Modi requested Bihar CM Nitish Kumar to take advantage of PM Saubhagya Yojna to provide electricity connection to all the households not having power connection free of cost. The PM said that three crore rural people had already been provided free LPG connection while another two crore rural people will get in next two years. He exhorted the people to make their villages Open Defecation Free (ODF) by constructing toilets in views of the problems facing the women folk. Stressing on cleaning of river Ganga, the PM said that a clean Ganga was necessary for the development of the country.
The PM also saluted Baba Chauharmal, poet Ram Dhari Singh Dinkar and first CM of Bihar Srikrishna Sinha on the occasion. He also referred to the glorious history of Simaria in Begusarai district. He said that Begusarai was once an industrial hub. The PM started his speech in Magahi language. The PM said that his government was aware of the problem facing the Mokama Taal area and had initiated measures to solve it.
Earlier, Gadkari said that a Master Plan had been prepared to solve the flood problem in Mokama Taal area. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar stressed on developing a drainage system in the area. Nitish also demanded construction of a road linking Buxar with Varanasi. Nitish said Buxar was work place of saint Vishwamitra. The CM said that his government would help the centre in acquiring land to link Buxar with proposed Green Expressway. Gadkari said that all the projects launched by the centre in Bihar would be completed in time. Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan lauded PM Modi for his bold economic reforms. Union Ministers Giriraj Singh, Ram Kripal Yadav, former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, Deputy CM Sushil Kuma Modi were also present on the occasion.