Rs 1.19 lakh crore spent on road construction in Bihar since

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi Friday said Rs 1.19 lakh crore was spent on building and maintenance of roads in the state since 2006.

In the last 12 years Rs 1.19 lakh crore was spent against Rs 6071 crore which was spent during 15-years rule of RJD-Congress regime, he said.

"A sum of Rs 6071 crore was spent on the construction and maintenance of roads in the state during 15 years of RJD-Congress regime between 1990-2005, whereas the state has spent Rs 1.19 lakh crore on the construction and maintenance of roads, which is 19 times since 2006," the deputy chief minister said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led NDA government took reins of the state for the first in November 2006. Barring the period between November 2015 and July 2017 when Kumar shared power with Lalu Prasad's RJD in the state, it was largely an NDA government which ruled the state since November 2006.

In current financial year of 2018-19, both rural works and road construction departments would be spending Rs 17,000 crore on constructing new roads, he said adding that only 15 per cent of the said amount will be spent on maintenance.

The deputy chief minister said this while addressing a 'orientation-cum-workshop programme' of newly appointed assistant engineers.

There was a time when bitumen scam took place in the name of maintenance of old roads in the state, he said adding that 44,650 MT bitumen were purchased for constructing 84 km of new roads in 1990-91 in the state apart from road widening work of 138 km.

But the quantum of bitumen rose to more than double at 94,000 MT in the year 1995-96 whereas only 6 km new roads were constructed while road widening work was nil in the state, he said.

He said Bihar ranked third in terms of road construction on every 100 sq km road network in the country.