

NEW DELHI: Road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said that government engineers are not willing to go to Bihar and the state government has to do more to improve its law and order situation.

"Four-five engineers have approached me seeking transfer from Bihar. Engineers are not keen to work there. I will seek cooperation from the state for better work environment," the Union minister told TOI in an interview barely hours before his meeting with the state deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, who is also in-charge of Bihar's road construction department.

The minister said this amid growing concern at the deteriorating law and order situation in the state after three engineers were murdered in less than a week. While one body was found in Vaishali district on Monday, two others were shot dead in Darbhanga last week.

Gadkari said issues relating to land acquisition and law and order are major concern while implementing any road project in Bihar. "The state government must create good environment for undertaking such work," he said.

Seeking proactive action by the state government to expedite road construction, Gadkari also said that the state also has to take decisions for easy availability of raw materials and help remove encroachments. "Now the construction materials are coming from Jharkhand and this adds to construction cost. We will go ahead with projects, but they have to do their bit as well," the minister said.

On Tuesday, Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan had alleged "Jungle Raj" is back in the state and chief minister Nitish Kumar has to take the responsibility since he is leading the government. He had also said that now people are paying the price for not voting NDA to power in the state. He had also asked who will come to invest or build roads in the state where engineers are being targeted.

