J P Ganga Path to undergo major expansion: Minister

Patna: Road construction minister Dilip Jaiswal on Thursday announced a major expansion of the J P Ganga Path in the legislative council.The state govt has approved a proposal to extend the J P Ganga Path from Koilwar (35.65km) in Bhojpur in the west to Sabour (40.80km) in Bhagalpur in the east. A total of Rs 16,465 crore will be spent on the project, he said.This will be the first road project in Bihar to be implemented under the Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM).The govt has also signed a special agreement with IIT-Patna to conduct an audit of 85 bridges measuring more than 250 metres in length, he said.With support from the Asian Development Bank, the upgradation of three state highways and two district highways, covering a total of 266km at a cost of Rs 3,743 crore, has been approved. The project will directly benefit districts such as Supaul, Araria, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Darbhanga and Buxar, he said.The six-lane bridge being constructed parallel to the Mahatma Gandhi Setu, along with the Patna-Aurangabad four-lane project, will transform the entire corridor into a global transport hub.