Nitish maps route for roads

Patna: Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday took a stern stance on complaints regarding lack of “all-weather road” connectivity to the habitations of the poor.

He directed the district magistrates to ensure proper road connectivity by removing whatever difficulties are coming in the way.

“Some people have the mentality that the habitations of the poor should not be provided all-weather roads. Such complaints are coming from several places and the district magistrates concerned need to make special efforts at their level to address them,” Nitish said.

The chief minister asked the district magistrates to approach public representatives belonging to all political parties, as well as panchayat mukhiyas, and take their assistance in overcoming whatever hurdles there are.

“Adopt a pragmatic view. Keep open various options for routes. If there is any problem, change the route or make the people understand. If more money is needed, spend it. We need to provide everybody with round-the-year road connectivity,” Nitish told the district magistrates.

The chief minister was speaking at a meeting in Sasaram in Rohtas district to review development work in Bhojpur, Buxar, Kaimur and Rohtas. He had visited these districts in January as part of his Vikas Karyon ki Samiksha Yatra to assess the implementation of development schemes.

Apart from officials, legislators and local self-government representatives were present at the review meeting.

Nitish asserted the government’s determination to make Bihar open defecation free (ODF) and asked the district magistrates to keep a tab on it. He asked them to declare any panchayat, block or district ODF only after verifying everything on the ground.

Appealing to the public representatives, Nitish said: “Pitch in your workers if any panchayat is declared ODF and verify whether every household has got a toilet or not. Assist the administration. Ninety per cent diseases will vanish from Bihar if it becomes ODF.”

Nitish also asked the officials to remove delay in disbursement of old age pension, widow pension and other such social welfare schemes and take strict action against “banking correspondents” or bank customer service centres if they are creating hurdles in disbursement of money.

Durgawati canal’s cleaning, renovation of school buildings, problems in property mutation, public distribution system, health, water logging, encroachment, aerial survey of land, road construction, traffic jam, stadium construction, paddy procurement, approval of schemes from legislators’ funds and several other issues were discussed at the review meeting.

Nitish next flew to Bodhgaya to conduct a review meeting for Gaya, Aurangabad, Arwal, Jehanabad and Nawada districts.

The meeting was supposed to be held at the Gaya collectorate, but was organised at the Bodhgaya airport due to tension and massive protests in the city following the kidnapping of three children and subsequent murder of one of them.

Various schemes related to the chief minister’s “seven resolves for a developed Bihar” were discussed at the meeting in Gaya.

Courtesy: The Telegraph