CM on launch spree

As the Bihar Assembly election is scheduled to be held in next couple of months, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is neck-deep in inauguration and foundation-laying ceremonies through video conferences. On Wednesday, he inaugurated 217 projects worth Rs5,042 crore. This include the Rs509 crore river overbridge at Bangaghat on the Gandak river linking Champaran with Tirhut. Barely 12 hours before the inauguration, a 50-metre stretch of the bridge connecting to nearby road was washed away in the flood.

The CM on Wednesday opened 70 roads constructed at Rs1,251 crore and laid the foundation of 88 new roads with a length of 600 kms long at an estimated cost of Rs1,270 crore.

Nitish Kumar also inaugurated a Ganga river overbridge connecting Patna Medical college Hospital to Ganga Path, constructed at a cost of Rs131 crore.

In the last week, different roads and bridges across the state have been inaugurated by the CM. The projects were readied at Rs20,000 crore. These include a new flyover in central Patna.

Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi said the conventional poll issues — bijli, sadak and paani — were non-issues now. All village have been electrified, all villages linked with metalled roads and all get potable water through piped supply system.

Modi said during the 15 years of the RJD (mis)rule in Bihar, Rs6,071 crore was spent on roads and bridges and over the last 15 years of the NDA rule, a whopping Rs1.40 lakh crore were spent.