State road construction department minister Nand Kishor Yadav and Patna mayor Sita Sahu at Dulli Ghat

PATNA: State road construction department ( RCD ) minister Nand Kishor Yadav on Tuesday launched the second phase of Ganga Path project, commonly known as Ganga driveway project . The second phase envisages construction of an expressway on the banks of the Ganga from Dulli Ghat to Didarganj near Patna-Bakhtiyarpur NH-30.

The project, initiated in 2013, has been delayed by around three years mainly due to land acquisition hurdles. It is now supposed to be completed by June 2020 instead of September 2017. Senior RCD officials said around 20% of the work had already been completed.

“Several issues have led to delay in execution of the Ganga Path project. However, it will complete by June 2020. The project, once completed, will not only ease traffic problem in the city, but also reduce congestion on the national highway,” the minister said.

CM Nitish Kumar had laid the foundation stone for the much-ambitious project at Digha ghat (near Digha-Sonepur rail-cum-road bridge) on October 11, 2013. The project is being executed by Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDCL), an executing agency of RCD.

BSRDCL chief general manager Chandra Shekhar said, “A team of 45 engineers has been engaged for the mega project, which will come up on 115 acres of land on the banks of the Ganga. From Digha to Golghar, the expressway is proposed to be constructed on embankment. The stretch from Golghar to Nurudeen Ghat in Patna City and from Gop Ghat to old NH-30 will be elevated one. The elevated structure will cover a stretch of around 11km out of the total distance of 20.5km for the project.”

He said foot overbridges would also be constructed under the Ganga driveway project at Digha, Kurji, Rajapur Pul, Magadh Mahila College, Gai Ghat, Khajekalan ghat, Kangan ghat and Patna ghat. “There will also be a foot underpass passage connecting 13 places between Digha ghat and Dharmashala,”

Meanwhile, RCD minister Nand Kishor Yadav said project would be expanded to cover Danapur and Sherpur in Maner. “It will also be connected to Ring Road and Gandhi Setu,” he added.

Chandra Shekhar said, “It was initially planned that the expressway project would be 21.5km-long, connecting Digha to Didarganj. The estimated expenditure for the project was Rs 3,160 crore. However, the project was reviewed by a team of experts from IIT-Roorkee after the Ganga changed its course. As per recommendations of the IIT-Roorkee team, the total length of the project is now 20.5km.”

