Nitish Kumar calls for peace, amity to boost growth in state
BALUAHA GHAT (SAHARSA): CM Nitish Kumar on Saturday urged people to maintain peace and amity if they wanted Bihar to surge forward on the development path and emerge as a front-ranking state. The CM, who inaugurated a bridge across the Kosi here near Mahishi, the birthplace of 8th century philosopher Mandan Mishra, and dedicated the same to the people of the region, said, "The bridge will not only strengthen the cultural bond between the people of Mithilanchal and Kosi region but also open up new opportunities for them."
During his less than 10-minute speech, Nitish also asked the people to work towards their betterment. He promised a bevy of bridges across Kosi and other rivers which will transform the economic status of the state. "The Kosi disaster has offered new opportunities and already ushered in a new beginning for the region," he told the gathering.
The 3.59-km-long bridge, constructed at a cost of Rs 531 crore, will shorten the distance between Saharsa and Darbhanga by 50km and draw it closer to the state capital by 70km. The foundation stone of the bridge was laid on December 10, 2009.
JD (U) national chief and Madhepura MP Sharad Yadav said, "The cultural affinity and ties between the two parts of Mithilanchal will further be fortified and the two parts will now become one." Among those present were energy minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, SC/ST welfare minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, law minister Narendra Narayan Yadav, disaster management minister Renu Kushwaha and MP Dinesh Chandra Yadav and a host of MLAs and MLCs.
Reiterating his demand for special category status to Bihar, Nitish said, "People of the state will not sit idle if the Centre continued to ignore the claim of the state."
State road construction department secretary Prataya Amrit reaffirmed the state government's commitment to go ahead on the path of development and prosperity, and also indicated a slew of road and bridge projects likely to take shape.
It will be like a dream come true for millions of people when the 3.59-km-long bridge over the Kosi connecting Baluaha Ghat to Gandaul in Saharsa district will be opened on Saturday by CM Nitish Kumar. The RCC bridge has been constructed at a cost of Rs 531 crore by Bihar Rajya Pul Nirman Nigam (BRPNN) a month before the deadline.
As announced earlier by the CM, it was to be opened on January 14, 2014. But the engineers and workers of BRPNN completed it before the deadline, road construction department secretary Pratyaya Amrit said on Friday and added the coming up of this historic bridge was nothing short of a revolution.
The bridge will considerably reduce the distance of Purnia, Madhepura and Saharsa from Darbhanga, Samastipur, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur and Patna. The bridge will reduce the Saharsa-Darbhanga distance from 158km to 84km. Similarly, the distance to Samastipur will be shortened by 100km, to Madhubani 80km and to Patna 70km, said Amrit.
The bridge will ensure economic turnaround of the region by way of providing easy communication to trade and marketing. It will also help development of temples at Mahisi, Singheswar Sthan and Sonebarsa as tourist spots.
Amrit recalled the situation was so horrible in the region that some engineers were kidnapped and one of them was murdered in 2002-03. The work on the project was not possible due to frightening atmosphere about a decade ago. He
also said a mosque coming in the way of the bridge was relocated with the consent of locals.
BRPNN sources said by 2015, 45 mega bridges would come up on major rivers where no connectivity ever existed.
Earlier, great confusion prevailed when the government plane carrying the JD (U) national chief Sharad Yadav could not land at the airstrip at Saharsa due to intense fog. The plane landed later after the fog cleared up.
TOI,Patna
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