PMO monitoring projects under Bihar package

Patna: The Prime Minister’s office (PMO) has been monitoring the status of projects listed in the Rs1.25 lakh crore

Bihar package

which was announced by PM Narendra Modi on August 18 last year. Recently,

PMO

has updated itself over the current status of national highways (NHs) package in the state before the end of this current financial year. There are 21 NH projects under process for award and bidding stage. They will cover 2775.1km of NH with an estimated cost of Rs54,000 crore. The department of expenditure, ministry of finance, has been entrusted with the task to monitor the projects under the PM’s Bihar package on regular basis. Department of expenditure deputy director SC Meena has directed all the departments/ministries concerned to send an implementation report on regular basis. Among the NH projects, the four-lane Bhojpur-Buxar section of NH-84 will cover 48km with an estimated cost of Rs595 crore. The contract assignment on engineering procurement and construction (EPC) mode was signed on September 9 last year. According to the documents available with TOI, the contract agreement has already been signed for the 55km stretch of Biharshariaf-Barbigha-Mokama section (NH-82), 33km four-lane stretch on Patna-Koelwar section (NH-30), 48km four-lane stretch on Koelwar-Bhojpur section (NH-84). The projects under ‘Bharatmala’ programme in the border areas and connecting religious and tourist spots have also been taken up. Religious places will be connected through a stretch of 58km (NH-722) in East and West Champaran districts. In addition, 160km stretch which connects Ucchait Mandir (Madhubani) to Ugratara Mandir Mahishi (Saharsa) with a bridge over river Kosi would also be taken up with an estimated cost of Rs5000 crore. Ram-Janaki Marg has already been announced from UP-Bihar border to Siwan- Madhubani-Sitamarhi-Indo Nepal boarder with a total stretch of 200km. Twenty NH projects in Bihar are also in the pipeline. The project will cover 1055.25km of roads with an estimated cost of Rs9991.24 crore. Among the projects, the contract agreement for work of on four-lane Patna-Gaya-Dobhi section of NH-83 with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loan assistance has been signed with M/s IL & FS Engineering Construction Company Limited. The work on four-lane Gaya-Hisua-Rajgir-Nalanda-Biharsharif section (92.93km) on NH-82 with JICA loan assistance could not be awarded due to some alignment issues, said an official. A project proposal is being prepared for a 65km-long four-lane ring road in Patna with an estimated cost of Rs1500 crore.

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