Patna: Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari and chief minister Samrat Choudhary on Thursday reviewed the progress of key National Highway and NHAI projects in Bihar and directed officials to expedite implementation, resolve bottlenecks and maintain construction quality.Deputy chief ministers Vijay Kumar Choudhary and Bijendra Prasad Yadav, road construction minister Kumar Shailendra and chief secretary Pratyay Amrit, among others, attended the review meeting.A range of strategic road and expressway projects came up for discussion, including the Patna-Purnia Expressway, Gorakhpur-Siliguri Expressway, Muzaffarpur-Barauni four-laning project, Darbhanga-Supaul Highway, Khagaria-Purnia road project, Muzaffarpur-Sonbarsa corridor, Danapur-Bihta corridor, Bihta-Koilwar road upgrade, Amas-Darbhanga road project, Munger-Mirzachauki Highway and the Patna Ring Road.The meeting also reviewed progress on the Patna-Ara-Sasaram corridor, the six-lane Ganga Bridge project, the Varanasi-Ranchi-Kolkata Highway and the proposed six-lane elevated road between Anisabad and Deedarganj.To strengthen connectivity further, directions were issued to prepare detailed project reports (DPRs) for the four-laning of NH-139, including bypasses at Aurangabad and Amba, and for the Bariyarpur-Gangta-Jamui stretch of NH-333.Gadkari stressed that there would be no compromise on construction quality and said artificial intelligence was being used to monitor highway projects. He warned that strict action would be taken against contractors found violating prescribed standards.The Union minister also appreciated Bihar’s policy permitting the use of river silt in road construction, describing it as an innovative and environment-friendly approach.Choudhary said timely completion of the projects would significantly improve connectivity across the state and provide a boost to trade, tourism, industry and overall economic activity. He stressed the need for close coordination between state and central agencies to ensure the speedy execution of infrastructure projects.
