RCD pins hope on Gadkari meet to clear proposal for 2 more expressways in Bihar

After Centre’s nod to the Amas- Darbhanga expressway in march this year, the road construction department (RCD) is now hoping that the proposal to construct two more expressways- Raxaul to Kolkata via Patna and Buxar to Bhagalpur will get Centre’s clearance in a meeting next month scheduled to be held between state department minister Nitin Nabin and Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari

After Centre’s nod to the Amas- Darbhanga expressway in march this year, the road construction department (RCD) is now hoping that the proposal to construct two more expressways- Raxaul to Kolkata via Patna and Buxar to Bhagalpur will get Centre’s clearance in a meeting next month scheduled to be held between state department minister Nitin Nabin and Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari.

A meeting is scheduled to be held next month between state department minister Nitin Nabin and Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari. (PTI)

Currently, Bihar doesn’t have any expressway. If cleared by the central ministry of road transport and highways (MoRTH), the state will have three expressways in years to come. Land acquisition process has already been started to build the state’s first expressway from Amas in Aurangabad to Darbhanga via Patna.

Officials of the RCD said that the November 24 meeting between the two ministers has been deferred owing to Gadkari’s sudden programme to visit to Jammu and Kashmir to oversee the issues pertaining to the road projects for strategic importance. “We hope that the meeting would now be held in the first week of December,” said a senior officer, adding that they were preparing the detailed proposal of Buxar-Bhagalpur expressway to get the in principal approval for it during the meeting.

The RCD had submitted the proposal to construct the Buxar-Bhagalpur expressway as another greenfield project to MoRTH last month. However, the MoRTH is yet to discuss the project in details including its alignment with the state government officials.

Nabin said that the long-awaited proposal to build expressway from Raxaul to Kolkata via Patna was pending for clearance by the cabinet committee on economic affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “The process to appoint a reputed consultant to prepare the detailed project report (DRP) of nearly 640km-long Raxaul-Kolkata expressway would start once it is cleared by the CCEA,” said the RCD minister.

The minister said that the department has earmarked the alignment of the 350 km Buxar-Bhagalpur expressway for discussion with the Union minister. “We will try integrating this expressway project as part of Bharat Mala Phase-2, once the Raxaul-Kolkata project receives the formal nod,” said that minister, adding that land acquisition for the two expressway would be carried out as soon as the Central government gives their formal consent.

Regarding the 189km Amas-Darbhanga expressway, the minister said that the land acquisition for the Greenfield project is in the final stages and the expression of interest to execute the project from renowned construction companies would be invited. A sum of about ₹5,000 crore is likely to be spent on constructing the Amas-Darbhanga expressway.

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Expressways Length stage of execution

Amas-Darbhanga 189km Land acquisition in final stage

Raxaul-Kolkata 639km Awaiting CCEA clearance at the Centre

Buxar-Bhagalpur 350km Proposal submitted for initial nod from MoRTH