Bouquets and brickbats for iconic buildings
2 min readPATNA: Chief minister Nitish Kumar has virtually changed the state capital’s skyline with several grandiose buildings, including Sabhyata Dwar, Samrat Ashok International Convention Centre and Bihar Museum, coming up in the city during his regime.
While Nitish and many others take pride in these new addresses, HAM-S chief and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday sarcastically advised Nitish to “build a Taj Mahal” as well in Patna to ensure that his name went down in the annals of history.
“Like emperors and kings who used to build magnificent memorials, Nitish should also get a Taj Mahal constructed,” Manjhi quipped and added the only motive behind Nitish’s these moves was to earn a name by showing to the world his interest in the history and culture.
Educationist and former Patna College principal Nawal Kishore Choudhary seconded Manjhi’s views. “The money being spent on such gigantic structures could have been spent to develop educational infrastructure… We had a grand museum in Patna and also the S K Memorial Hall. What’s the use of a new museum or convention centre?” asked Choudhary.
Economist Shaibal Gupta, however, supported the CM’s development agenda. “Bihar has nothing to offer other than its glorious history. These iconic structure will keep reminding people of the historical heritage of the state. These structures will also increase tourist footfall,” Gupta said and added for any modern state, a convention centre was essential if events did not have to be organised in expensive hotels.
JD (U) MLC Neeraj Kumar regretted that people called developing infrastructure a ‘waste of money’. “Nitish is trying to preserve the historical heritage of Bihar. These structures will be appreciated by generations to come.”
Patna University Teachers’ Association vice-president Shefali Roy also said infrastructure development was important to attract tourists. “In Bihar, we don’t have tourist spots except Bodh Gaya and Nalanda as of now,” she said and added, however, that the primary agenda of development for the state government should be to increase literacy rate, recruit quality teachers and increase job avenues.
Courtesy: TNN
