Bihar to set up body for quality roads

This is aimed at expediting construction and keeping tabs on the quality of road infrastructure, reports Vijay Swaroop.

To speed up road construction and keep tabs on the quality of work, the state government is mulling formation of Road Development Authority. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has agreed in principle to the proposal of the Road Construction Department to form such an authority.

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Kumar hinted at this after a high-level meeting called to review road construction work in the state. Road Construction Minister Nand Kishore Yadav, department's secretary K Singh, advocate general PK Shahi and others attended the meeting.

In a presentation by the department, the officials stressed on the need for setting up a board/corporation or an authority so that regulatory and development works could be separated. "This will also help in removing the procedural delays in tender process and the shortcomings in the old PWD code," said the department officials.

After examining the presentation, the CM directed that a development authority be constituted with financial and administrative powers so that it could function properly and independently.

He also stressed on the need for induction of technical and management specialists of national and international repute as members of the authority so that they could give their valuable suggestions on the construction of quality roads in the state.

He even suggested that the State Road Development Authority be also entrusted with the power to acquire lands for road construction.

He said, during the 11th Five-Year Plan period, the state was to receive an estimated Rs 58,000 crore out of which Rs 12,000 crore had been earmarked for road construction and added that the thrust should be on speedy and quality construction of roads.