CCEA clears rehabilitation of Mahatma Gandhi Setu in Bihar

Of the total investment of Rs 1,742 cr, Rs 400 cr alone is expected to be spent on dismantling the structure that would be replaced by a steel framework

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs today approved rehabilitation of Mahatma Gandhi Setu at Patna in Bihar at an estimated cost of Rs 1,742.01 crore. 

Of the total investment, Rs 400 crore alone is expected to be spent on dismantling the structure that would be replaced by a steel framework.

Inaugurated in 1982, the bridge connects Patna in the south to Hajipur in the north of Bihar. It is part of National Highway 19. It is very important link between North Bihar and South Bihar and is a route for several economic as well as socio political activity. 

The bridge was built with a technology not considered suitable any more. Several studies on the upgradation of the bridge concluded that the existing structure needed to be dismantled.

The decision to rehabilitate the bridge instead of building a new structure was mainly due to issue of land acquisition and rehabilitation of the existing population in Patna city. 

Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said here that his government believed in working for the betterment of states irrespective of elections and this decision is a step in the right direction for better infrastructure in Bihar.

Gadkari also promised investments over Rs 1.5 lakh crore in developing infrastructure in Bihar. 

Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Ravi Shankar Prasad, who hail from the eastern state welcomed the Cabinet’s approval for the upgradation of the Mahatma Gandhi Setu and said it was a step in the right direction for the state.

As part of the rehabilitation plan, the bridge will be constructed after dismantling its damaged structure. The project will be in engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode. 

It will help in expediting the improvement of infrastructure in the state besides reducing the time and cost of travel for traffic, particularly heavy traffic, plying between North and South Bihar.