PATNA: Bihar government has proposed to the Centre to convert the state’s 36 roads, measuring nearly 2,691km, into national highways (NHs).
State road construction department minister Nand Kishore Yadav plans to meet Union road transport and highways minister Kamalnath and his officials to push the demand. “Bihar has only 3.99km of NH for one lakh population against the national average of 6.17km,” Yadav said.
The length of the NHs in the state is at present 3,734km. Between 1999 and early 2004, the length of NHs was only 2,362.3km which went up to 3,629km by the end of 2004. Another 105km was added in 2006, he said and added till 1998, the total length of NHs in Bihar was only 1,266.77km.
The minister said the matter was taken up with the Centre with a plea to notify the new roads as NHs sometime back. But there has been no response. “I am seeking an appointment with the Union minister to discuss the matter as well as the dilapidated condition of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu with him. We will also plead afresh for the reimbursement of Rs 969.57 crore which the state government spent on the maintenance of NHs,” Yadav told TOI on Thursday.
The 36 state highways and district roads, proposed to be upgraded as NHs, include 93km Araria-Galgalia (up to Bengal border), two roads in Darbhanga connecting the town with Kusheshwar Sthan and Begusarai, Mairwa-Kuchaikot road in Siwan and Gopalganj and four roads in Muzaffapur that link the town with Motipur, Kalynapur, Parsauni and Sheohar. The other such roads in north Bihar towns are in Saharsa, Supaul, Vaishali, Samastipur, Chhapra, Bettiah, Sitamarhi, Kishanganj and Purnia.
In southern part, the roads include 97km Ara-Sasaram, 155km Buxar-Garke (UP border), 175km Barbigha-Deoghar, Gaya-Daudnagar, Sasaram-Chausa and Gaya-Aurangabad roads. Other stretches include Buxar-Dehri, Buxar-Bhabua, two roads linking Lakhisarai and Jamui, five roads linking Bhagalpur and Banka and two roads linking Gaya and Aurangabad.
To bring the state’s NH average on a par with the national average, at least 2,000km of roads are needed to be upgraded as NH, Yadav said.