Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari Lock Horns Over Funding for Buxar-Barun Road Project
मुख्य बातें
- •The Buxar-Barun four-lane road project was sanctioned in 2018 under Bharatmala Pariyojana at an estimated cost of ₹285 crore.
- •Delays have pushed the completion deadline from March 2023 to December 2024 due to land acquisition and fund disbursement issues.
- •Nitish Kumar alleges the Centre is withholding funds for political reasons, while Gadkari blames the state for delays in land acquisition.
- •The project has become a symbol of Centre-state credit-sharing disputes ahead of the 2025 Bihar elections.
Patna/New Delhi, 27 May 2024 – A political and financial tug-of-war has erupted between Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari over the funding and credit for the Buxar-Barun four-lane national highway project. The 27 km stretch, a key connector between Buxar and Rohtas districts, has become the latest flashpoint in the Centre-state relationship, with both sides staking claim to its inauguration and completion.
The project, sanctioned under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, was approved at an estimated cost of ₹285 crore in 2018. Construction began in 2020 and was scheduled for completion by March 2023. However, delays due to land acquisition issues and fund disbursement bottlenecks have pushed the deadline to December 2024. Officials in the state PWD say that while the Centre has released ₹180 crore, only ₹120 crore has reached the ground, citing procedural delays.
