Patna, May 21 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday conducted an inspection of the ongoing road and underground drainage construction along Saidpur Nala in the city, emphasising its significance for traffic decongestion and urban beautification.

Accompanied by senior officials, including Urban Development Secretary Abhay Kumar Singh and Municipal Commissioner Animesh Parasar, the Chief Minister inspected key sites such as the Sheetla Mandir flyover, the drainage pumping plant hill, and Saidpur Nala.

“We have inspected this site multiple times before. It’s a very good scheme,” said Nitish Kumar during the visit.

He directed officials to speed up work on the construction of a four-lane road over Saidpur Nala and ensure its renovation is of high quality.

He emphasised that the project will provide significant relief from traffic congestion in densely populated areas like Saidpur, Rajendra Nagar, Musallahpur Haat, Gaighat, and Pahari.

“Once completed, it will offer an alternative route to the New Patna Bypass, enhance mobility, and improve the overall aesthetics of the city,” the Chief Minister noted.

The Bihar government has given the responsibility for the construction of the project to Bihar Urban Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (BUIDCO). The total length of this stretch is 5.61 kilometres, and the estimated cost is Rs 259.81 crore.

The integrated development of underground drainage and road over Saidpur Nala up to the hill area will carry discharge from nine drainage pumping stations and one Sewage Treatment Plant (STP); improve urban sanitation and ease vehicular movement.

During the inspection, Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Minister for Water Resources and Parliamentary Affairs; Deepak Kumar, Principal Secretary to the CM; Dr Chandrashekhar Singh, Patna District Magistrate; Kumar Ravi, Secretary to the CM; and Abhay Kumar Singh, Secretary, Urban Development, were also present.

The Chief Minister reiterated his government’s commitment to urban infrastructure improvement and instructed the concerned departments to maintain strict timelines and quality standards for this flagship urban mobility project.

–IANS

ajk/uk