Ahead of resignation buzz, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar inspects Patna Betia-Expressway | VIDEO
Amid strong buzz of his impending resignation, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar conducted a surprise inspection of the Patna-Betia Expressway in Saran. He reviewed the first phase of the project and directed officials to speed up the work.
As Bihar is headed for a major political churn, strong indications suggest that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is likely to step down from the top post on Tuesday. A day before the expected resignation, the Chief Minister made an unannounced visit to review the progress of his government's ambitious Patna-Betia Expressway project. As per the information, officials consider this his final on-ground inspection of the current tenure.
On Monday, Nitish Kumar reached the Bakarpur Manikpur road stretch in Saran district. He inspected the first section of the upcoming Patna-Betia Expressway and instructed officials to accelerate the work. Providing details of the project, Pankaj Kumar Pal, Secretary of the Road Construction Department, said that work on this greenfield corridor connecting Patna to Betia is progressing rapidly. The first phase is targeted for completion by April 2027. Once operational, travel time between Patna and Betia is expected to reduce to just three hours.
Expressway to boost connectivity
During the inspection, Nitish Kumar said this expressway is one of Bihar's key connectivity projects. He added that it will significantly ease movement between Patna and Betia and reduce load on existing routes. The greenfield corridor will directly link Patna with Vaishali, Saran, East Champaran and West Champaran districts to improve regional mobility and economic activity across north Bihar.
Top officials accompany CM during visit
Several senior officials joined the Chief Minister for the review. Among those present were Chief Principal Secretary Deepak Kumar, Road Construction Department Secretary Pankaj Kumar Pal, CM's Secretary Kumar Ravi, Special Officer Dr Gopal Singh, Saran SP Vineet Kumar, Saran Deputy Development Commissioner Lakshman Tiwari and senior NHAI officials.
Nitish Kumar takes oath as Rajya Sabha member
On April 10, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took oath as a member of Rajya Sabha, marking the end of his two-decade rule in the eastern state and paving the way for a new Chief Minister. The oath was administered by Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan in his chamber at a brief ceremony. The Chairman later welcomed him as a member of the Upper House and also on his return in Parliament.
Kumar took the oath in the presence of Union Minister JP Nadda, who is also the leader of the house, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Panchayati Raj Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh, Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ram Nath Thakur and Minister of State for Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal.
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