'Set standards for village roads'

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has has urged road experts to set standards not just for the national highways but also for roads connecting villages.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has has urged road experts to set standards not just for the national highways but also for roads connecting villages.

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"Thrust on standards of roads connecting villages has become the need of the hour," Kumar told national and international experts who assembled here for the 70th annual session of the Indian Road Congress (IRC) last evening.

The chief minister attacked the central government for allegedly not properly maintaining and upgrading the national highways in Bihar. If they fail to do so, "it would be better to hand over the works over to the state," he said.

Kumar claimed that the Centre's reluctance had caused Bihar to spend Rs 711 crore on upgrading and maintenance of roads, managing the amount from its meagre resources. "The state is yet to receive the reimbursement from the Centre," he said.

He asked the experts to find a technological solution to the Mahatma Gandhi Setu over Ganga, the longest river bridge in the country and considered a lifeline for people of Bihar, which is now in bad shape.

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Chief Minister S K Modi the the NDA government has created a new Bihar with more inflow of tourists, better infrastructure, and growing industry and agriculture.

State Road Construction Minister Prem Kumar, state Health Minister Nand Kishore Yadav also spoke.