By Neeraj Kumar
Patna: The central government has sanctioned ₹26,710 crore for National Highway projects in Bihar, covering major expressway, elevated road, and bridge developments in the current financial year. Among these, ₹2,000 crore has been allocated for the 17 km-long Anisabad-Didarganj elevated road.
In the annual plan approved by the central government, ₹10,720 crore has been allocated under category-1, while ₹9,315 crore has been approved under category-2. Additionally, ₹6,675 crore has been separately allocated to Bihar for the state’s road projects. A significant portion of these funds will be used for a 3 km bridge-cum-road between Bharouli and Haidaria, which will connect the Purvanchal Expressway to the Patna-Buxar route, with ₹428 crore designated for this project.
Key allocations include ₹3,750 crore for the Mokama-Munger road, ₹535 crore for the Sherpur-Kanhauli road, and ₹4,000 crore for the Muzaffarpur-Sonbarsa road. For the Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway, ₹1,074 crore has been approved for Package-4 and ₹922 crore for Package-5. Additionally, ₹1,156 crore has been sanctioned for the Ramnagar-Kachchi Dargah six-lane road, while ₹3,897 crore has been earmarked for the Patna-Ara-Sasaram road.
A substantial ₹3,600 crore has been approved for the construction of a four-lane bridge over the Gandak River. Furthermore, ₹585 crore has been allocated for the Dehri-on-Son-Akbarpur-Yadunathpur road, and ₹500 crore for a new road alignment within the Valmiki Nagar Tiger Project. This approval marks the largest amount ever allocated to Bihar for national highway projects.
In addition, the central government has sanctioned over ₹1,400 crore for the construction of railway over-bridges (ROBs) in cities such as Bikramganj, Jehanabad, Safiasarai, Shivnarayanpur, Mirza Chowki, and Samastipur, with ₹40 crore specifically approved for a bridge in Kinjar. With the approval of these funds, long-awaited projects and the construction of ROBs can now proceed, and the detailed project report (DPR) and tender processes will soon commence.
Significant allocations include ₹2,000 crore for the Anisabad-Didarganj elevated road, ₹3,750 crore for the Mokama-Munger road, ₹4,000 crore for the Muzaffarpur-Sonbarsa road, ₹1,156 crore for the Ramnagar-Kachchi Dargah road, ₹3,897 crore for the Patna-Ara-Sasaram road, ₹3,600 crore for the Gandak River four-lane bridge, ₹428 crore for the Maroli-Haidaria road, ₹535 crore for the Sherpur-Kanhauli road, ₹1,996 crore for the Varanasi-Kolkata Expressway, and ₹500 crore for the new alignment in Valmiki Nagar.
The central government’s funding approval is expected to accelerate ongoing projects that had previously slowed due to a lack of funds.
